Mississippi
1,037 Schools159 Districts439K Students
$14,449
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
≈ nat'l avg99.5%
Free Lunch Rate
+47.3pp vs nat'l84.0%
Graduation Rate
-2.5pp vs nat'l37/100
Opportunity Score
LimitedAbout Mississippi Public Schools
Mississippi's education story is one of the most remarkable turnarounds in US public education: after decades of ranking last or near-last nationally, the state's 4th grade reading NAEP scores have surged since 2013, when the Mississippi Literacy-Based Promotion Act went into effect — requiring students to demonstrate reading proficiency by end of third grade before advancing. The "Mississippi Miracle" has been widely studied and credited to a combination of structured literacy instruction, teacher coaching, and high-quality curriculum adoption. The state still faces significant challenges: per-pupil spending remains among the lowest in the nation, poverty rates are high, and racial inequities persist across its 148 school districts. Mississippi uses the MAAP (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program).
Largest District
DESOTO CO SCHOOL DIST
35K students
Highest Per-Pupil
MS SCHLS FOR THE DEAF AND THE BLIND
$168,356/student
Top Graduation Rate
GEORGE CO SCHOOL DIST
97.5% grad rate
School Districts (159)
Per-pupil spending in Mississippi ranges from $9,536 to $168,356 across districts with available data. State avg: $14,449.
| District | Schools | Students | Per-Pupil | Grad Rate | Free Lunch | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Districts — 10,000+ Students | ||||||
| DESOTO CO SCHOOL DIST | 42 | 35K | $9,536↓34% | 90.1%↑7% | 99.7% | 40 |
| RANKIN CO SCHOOL DIST | 28 | 19K | $12,330↓15% | 89.6%↑7% | 99.6% | 38 |
| JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 54 | 19K | $14,275 | 75.5%↓10% | 100.0% | 36 |
| HARRISON CO SCHOOL DIST | 23 | 13K | $11,892↓18% | 86.4% | 99.5% | 37 |
| MADISON CO SCHOOL DIST | 23 | 13K | $11,926↓17% | 92.3%↑10% | 99.5% | 34 |
| LAMAR COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 17 | 10K | $10,656↓26% | 91.6%↑9% | 99.6% | — |
| Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students | ||||||
| JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST | 14 | 8,906 | $11,261↓22% | 88.4%↑5% | 99.6% | — |
| JONES CO SCHOOL DIST | 11 | 8,524 | $9,887↓32% | 89.7%↑7% | 99.7% | — |
| TUPELO PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST | 14 | 7,132 | $13,039↓10% | 85.0% | 99.5% | 32 |
| VICKSBURG WARREN SCHOOL DIST | 16 | 6,862 | $15,722↑9% | 80.7% | 100.0% | 36 |
| PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT | 19 | 6,565 | $16,455↑14% | 87.3% | 100.0% | 35 |
| LEE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 15 | 6,303 | $11,309↓22% | 84.8% | 99.7% | 37 |
| GULFPORT SCHOOL DIST | 11 | 6,113 | $12,643↓13% | 87.0% | 100.0% | 44 |
| LAUDERDALE CO SCHOOL DIST | 11 | 5,910 | $11,502↓20% | 82.4% | 99.4% | 39 |
| OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST | 7 | 5,861 | $10,132↓30% | 91.0%↑8% | 99.7% | — |
| BILOXI PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST | 10 | 5,812 | $15,502↑7% | 86.0% | 99.6% | — |
| LOWNDES CO SCHOOL DIST | 10 | 5,261 | $11,562↓20% | 89.1%↑6% | 99.7% | 37 |
| CLINTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST | 9 | 5,211 | $10,858↓25% | 57.0%↓32% | 99.6% | — |
| HINDS CO SCHOOL DIST | 11 | 4,968 | $13,430↓7% | 84.6% | 99.5% | 40 |
| STARKVILLE- OKTIBBEHA CONS DIST | 9 | 4,894 | $13,772 | 76.0%↓10% | 99.6% | — |
| MERIDIAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 11 | 4,614 | $13,011↓10% | 77.0%↓8% | 100.0% | 39 |
| OXFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 4,553 | $15,288↑6% | 87.0% | 99.6% | — |
| PETAL SCHOOL DIST | 5 | 4,392 | $10,400↓28% | 90.0%↑7% | 99.7% | 41 |
| SOUTH PANOLA SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 4,313 | $11,628↓20% | 85.0% | 99.6% | 35 |
| PEARL PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 4,216 | $10,701↓26% | 92.0%↑10% | 99.6% | 40 |
| GEORGE CO SCHOOL DIST | 9 | 4,165 | $10,283↓29% | 97.5%↑16% | 100.0% | 47 |
| HANCOCK CO SCHOOL DIST | 7 | 4,060 | $12,618↓13% | 89.0%↑6% | 99.6% | 42 |
| GREENWOOD-LEFLORE CONS SCH DISTRICT | 15 | 4,030 | $13,220↓9% | — | 100.0% | 33 |
| SCOTT CO SCHOOL DIST | 9 | 3,989 | $10,617↓27% | 77.8%↓7% | 100.0% | 36 |
| GRENADA SCHOOL DIST | 5 | 3,864 | $11,296↓22% | 87.0% | 99.8% | — |
| HATTIESBURG PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST | 9 | 3,667 | $16,078↑11% | 82.0% | 100.0% | — |
| GREENVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 13 | 3,542 | $12,081↓16% | 73.0%↓13% | 100.0% | 36 |
| PONTOTOC CO SCHOOL DIST | 9 | 3,466 | $10,260↓29% | 86.8% | 99.4% | 34 |
| PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 11 | 3,431 | $12,313↓15% | 82.0% | 100.0% | — |
| ITAWAMBA COUNTY SCHOOL DIST | 8 | 3,375 | $10,667↓26% | 81.0% | 99.5% | 38 |
| PEARL RIVER CO SCHOOL DIST | 4 | 3,284 | $10,561↓27% | 87.0% | 99.7% | — |
| ALCORN SCHOOL DIST | 10 | 3,188 | $10,882↓25% | 92.5%↑10% | 99.3% | 36 |
| CANTON PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST | 10 | 3,166 | $12,169↓16% | 72.0%↓14% | 100.0% | 36 |
| COLUMBUS MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DIST | 9 | 3,090 | $13,197↓9% | 71.0%↓15% | 100.0% | 36 |
| NESHOBA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 3 | 3,038 | $12,204↓16% | 87.0% | 99.7% | 37 |
| SIMPSON CO SCHOOL DIST | 9 | 3,008 | $12,321↓15% | 89.8%↑7% | 99.3% | — |
| UNION CO SCHOOL DIST | 4 | 2,980 | $10,084↓30% | 88.0% | 99.6% | 39 |
| SUNFLOWER CTY CONS SCHOOL DISTRICT | 13 | 2,929 | $14,264 | 72.9%↓13% | 100.0% | 33 |
| LONG BEACH SCHOOL DIST | 5 | 2,929 | $13,833 | 92.0%↑10% | 99.5% | — |
| WAYNE CO SCHOOL DIST | 8 | 2,900 | $13,647↓6% | 82.0% | 100.0% | — |
| TISHOMINGO CO SP MUN SCH DIST | 8 | 2,897 | $11,974↓17% | 95.2%↑13% | 99.4% | — |
| LAFAYETTE CO SCHOOL DIST | 5 | 2,872 | $11,121↓23% | 87.0% | 99.6% | — |
| CLEVELAND SCHOOL DIST | 10 | 2,818 | $12,507↓13% | 92.0%↑10% | 100.0% | 36 |
| LINCOLN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 4 | 2,795 | $11,056↓23% | 81.3% | 99.6% | — |
| MARSHALL CO SCHOOL DIST | 10 | 2,777 | $10,889↓25% | 85.9% | 100.0% | — |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.