PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT operates 9 public schools serving 3,431 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Mississippi. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 3 other, 1 high, 1 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 3,510 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Pearl River County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,313 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 27.2% local, 38.7% state, and 34.0% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $60,321 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 53/100, ranked #59 of 146 in Mississippi against a state average of 51 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 920:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 23.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 54.7% White, 30.4% African American, 10.3% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Picayune Memorial High School accounts for 26.8% of all PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT school enrollment varies 6.2× across entities
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT school enrollment ranges from 151 students (lowest) to 940 students (highest), a spread of 789 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio — most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 100.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT student-counselor ratio is 920:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT chronic absenteeism rate is 23.2% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT is typically wider than the PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT-aggregate figure suggests.
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT has 9 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 4 elementary, 3 other. Total enrollment is 3,431 students.
How much does PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT spend per student?
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT spends $12,313 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #59 in Mississippi.
What is the average teacher salary in PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT?
The average teacher salary in PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT is $60,321 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Pearl River County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT?
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT students are 54.7% White, 30.4% African American, 10.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT?
PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #59 out of 146 districts in Mississippi. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.