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Ripley, Mississippi - 5 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks South Tippah School Dist #41 of 146 districts in Mississippi (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,828 per pupil, South Tippah School Dist ranks #89 of 147 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending (Mississippi districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,485
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$10,828
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
South Tippah School Dist operates 5 public schools serving 2,485 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Mississippi. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 2 combined, 1 high schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Tippah County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,828 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 147 Mississippi districts by per-pupil spending. See how Mississippi compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 19.2% local, 56.2% state, and 24.6% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 64/100, ranked #41 of 146 in Mississippi against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 480.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 56.6% White, 19.4% African American, 14.8% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Blue Mountain High School, with a diversity index of 69.7/100.
Its largest campus is Ripley Elementary School, enrolling 611 students (25% of the district's total enrollment).
Ripley Elementary School accounts for 24.6% of all South Tippah School Dist student enrollment
That concentration means South Tippah School Dist-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
South Tippah School Dist school enrollment varies 2.1× across entities
South Tippah School Dist school enrollment ranges from 295 students (lowest) to 611 students (highest), a spread of 316 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.
South Tippah School Dist has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 73.1% 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). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
South Tippah School Dist student-counselor ratio is 481:1 — 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.
South Tippah School Dist chronic absenteeism rate is 23.7% — 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 South Tippah School Dist is typically wider than the South Tippah School Dist-aggregate figure suggests.
South Tippah School Dist has 5 schools, including 2 elementary, 2 combined, 1 high. Total enrollment is 2,485 students.
How much does South Tippah School Dist spend per student?
South Tippah School Dist spends $10,828 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #41 in Mississippi.
What is the demographic composition of South Tippah School Dist?
South Tippah School Dist students are 56.6% White, 19.4% African American, 14.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for South Tippah School Dist?
South Tippah School Dist has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #41 out of 146 districts in Mississippi.