Public schools in Mississippi

The NCES directory lists 1,019 public schools operating in Mississippi in 2024-25; 844 of them reported 427,432 students, averaging 14.0 students per teacher, the 24th highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is DeSoto County Schools, with 34,934 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools844423 elementary, 176 middle, 200 high, 45 other
Students427,4320.9% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher14.0U.S. 15.3

Mississippi has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

Mississippi ranks 24th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Wisconsin14.2
  2. Iowa14.1
  3. Maryland14.1
  4. Mississippi14.0
  5. Georgia13.9
  6. Hawaii13.9
  7. South Carolina13.9

Eight in ten larger Mississippi districts spent between $10,337 and $14,958 per student

Among the 112 Mississippi districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $10,337 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $14,958; the median was $12,203. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Mississippi districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23112 values from $9,681 to $17,841; ; state median $12,203.$10,337$14,958the middle eight in ten1 more above $17,500 →$8k$10k$13k$15k$18kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,203
Current spending per student, Mississippi districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23112 values from $9,681 to $17,841; ; state median $12,203.$10,337$14,958the middle eight in ten1 more above $17,500 →$8k$10k$13k$15k$18kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,203
Current spending per student, Mississippi districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23112 values from $9,681 to $17,841; ; state median $12,203.$10,337$14,958the middle eight in ten1 more above $17,500 →$8k$10k$13k$15k$18kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,203
Current spending per student, Mississippi districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23112 values from $9,681 to $17,841; ; state median $12,203.$10,337$14,958the middle eight in ten1 more above $17,500 →$8k$10k$13k$15k$18kcurrent spending per studentstate median $12,203

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 45.6% of the Mississippi students tested met the state's reading standard and 52.1% its math standard. Mississippi writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Mississippi's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 89.4% of 31,998 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Mississippi almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Tupelo High School, 2,123 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Shirley D. Simmons Middle School, 6.4 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Kemper Co School Dist, $20,206 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Forrest County Ag High School, $76,198 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Early Childhood Education Center, 0% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Northwest Middle School, 78 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Okolona Separate School Dist, 56.3 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Mississippi

  1. DeSoto County Schools34,934
  2. Rankin County School District18,196
  3. Jackson Public School District17,044
  4. Harrison County School District14,253
  5. Madison County Schools12,926
  6. Lamar County Schools10,318
  7. Jackson Co School Dist8,845
  8. Jones County School District8,693

Every Mississippi school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Jackson21,425 students46 schools
  2. Gulfport14,126 students22 schools
  3. Hattiesburg11,038 students18 schools
  4. Meridian8,605 students16 schools
  5. Olive Branch10,714 students14 schools
  6. Vicksburg6,243 students13 schools
  7. Columbus6,315 students13 schools
  8. Biloxi10,094 students13 schools
  9. Tupelo7,192 students12 schools
  10. Greenville4,274 students12 schools
  11. Pascagoula3,737 students11 schools
  12. Oxford7,617 students11 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Mississippi's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Mississippi?
    The NCES directory lists 1,019 operating in 2024-25; 844 of them reported students: 423 elementary, 176 middle, 200 high and 45 other, enrolling 427,432 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Mississippi?
    14.0 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Mississippi?
    DeSoto County Schools, with 34,934 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Mississippi spend per public-school student?
    $12,129 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .