While the U.S. is one of the most educated countries in the world, it doesn’t provide the same quality elementary school or secondary school education to all students. In many states, more affluent school districts receive a greater amount of funding per student than poorer districts.
Discrepancies between the rich and poor have been exacerbated even more this year by the COVID-19 pandemic. As states decide whether their school districts will have in-person learning this fall, studies show that low-income students will suffer the greatest “learning loss” due to partial or total remote learning. One contributing factor is that people in low-income districts are less likely to have the technological resources they need.
States that provide equitable funding to all school districts can help prevent poor students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers. The difference is dramatic: College graduates have $460 - $1,154 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.
Mississippi has the 13th most equitable school districts in the U.S. overall, but some districts within the state are fairer than others. To find out where school funding is distributed most equitably, WalletHub scored 142 districts in Mississippi based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil. Read on for the district ranking and a complete description of our methodology.
Main Findings
Note: For visual purposes, we included only the top 7 school districts by enrollment from each category. Rank 1 on the “Expenditures Ranking” means highest expenditures and Rank 1 on “Income Ranking” means lowest income.
Most & Least Equitable School Districts in Mississippi
Rank* | School District | Score | Expeditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools per Pupil | Income by School District |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Prentiss County School District | 0.41 | $8,941 | $40,924 |
2 | North Panola Consolidated School District | 0.68 | $10,801 | $33,578 |
3 | East Jasper Consolidated School District | 0.94 | $11,323 | $30,762 |
4 | West Tallahatchie Consol School District | 0.96 | $12,112 | $28,212 |
5 | Alcorn County School District | 1.00 | $8,557 | $43,079 |
6 | South Tippah School District | 1.23 | $8,838 | $41,031 |
7 | Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District | 1.78 | $9,655 | $38,800 |
8 | Jefferson Davis County School District | 2.21 | $11,367 | $30,083 |
9 | Marshall County School District | 2.22 | $8,093 | $45,496 |
10 | Winona Municipal Separate School District | 2.24 | $9,439 | $38,125 |
11 | Lawrence County School District | 2.45 | $8,422 | $42,290 |
12 | New Albany Public School District | 2.53 | $8,926 | $42,138 |
13 | Okolona Municipal Separate School District | 2.57 | $10,874 | $34,015 |
14 | Natchez-Adams School District | 2.68 | $11,533 | $29,203 |
15 | South Panola School District | 2.77 | $9,181 | $38,993 |
16 | Hollandale Consolidated School District | 2.79 | $11,407 | $29,688 |
17 | Holly Springs School District | 2.90 | $9,823 | $36,263 |
18 | Benton County School District | 2.98 | $9,884 | $35,974 |
19 | Noxubee County School District | 2.98 | $10,438 | $36,000 |
20 | Quitman County School District | 3.34 | $12,355 | $25,510 |
21 | Pontotoc City School District | 3.94 | $8,251 | $42,422 |
22 | Smith County School District | 4.20 | $8,409 | $41,657 |
23 | Brookhaven Municipal Separate School District | 4.27 | $9,134 | $38,603 |
24 | Leland Consolidated School District | 4.83 | $11,005 | $34,356 |
25 | Columbus Municipal Separate School District | 4.85 | $9,410 | $37,222 |
26 | Copiah County School District | 5.01 | $7,649 | $44,518 |
27 | Louisville Municipal School District | 5.15 | $9,623 | $36,214 |
28 | West Jasper Consolidated School District | 5.32 | $9,416 | $41,184 |
29 | Water Valley Consolidated School District | 5.44 | $8,250 | $41,838 |
30 | West Point Consolidated School District | 5.68 | $9,835 | $35,121 |
31 | Jones County School District | 5.95 | $7,381 | $45,268 |
32 | Stone County School District | 5.96 | $8,591 | $44,883 |
33 | Aberdeen School District | 5.96 | $10,479 | $36,997 |
34 | Tishomingo County Special Municipal Separate School District | 6.02 | $9,279 | $37,312 |
35 | George County School District | 6.44 | $7,814 | $48,319 |
36 | Jackson Municipal Separate School District | 6.64 | $9,272 | $37,097 |
37 | Monroe County School District | 6.96 | $8,140 | $47,159 |
38 | Hattiesburg Public School District | 7.66 | $10,105 | $33,215 |
39 | South Delta School District | 7.78 | $11,457 | $27,520 |
40 | Western Line Consolidated School District | 8.04 | $9,353 | $36,209 |
41 | Baldwyn Municipal Separate School District | 8.19 | $10,920 | $36,028 |
42 | Tate County School District | 8.42 | $8,224 | $47,382 |
43 | Nettleton School District | 8.60 | $7,956 | $41,827 |
44 | Vicksburg-Warren County School District | 9.28 | $9,344 | $43,039 |
45 | Lee County School District | 9.87 | $8,415 | $47,150 |
46 | Picayune Municipal Separate School District | 10.29 | $9,754 | $41,722 |
47 | Houston Separate School District | 10.30 | $8,994 | $36,823 |
48 | Pearl Municipal Separate School District | 10.72 | $8,195 | $48,406 |
49 | Forrest County School District | 10.75 | $9,940 | $41,127 |
50 | Long Beach Municipal Separate School District | 11.03 | $7,872 | $49,877 |
51 | Poplarville Municipal Separate School District | 11.19 | $9,363 | $43,709 |
52 | Hazlehurst Municipal Separate School District | 11.22 | $9,105 | $36,000 |
53 | Franklin County School District | 11.51 | $10,087 | $40,810 |
54 | Meridian Municipal Separate School District | 11.53 | $9,840 | $32,807 |
55 | Canton Public School District | 11.73 | $8,919 | $45,774 |
56 | Wayne County School District | 11.74 | $10,788 | $37,970 |
57 | North Pike Consolidated School District | 11.92 | $7,661 | $41,755 |
58 | Covington County School System | 12.00 | $9,048 | $35,931 |
59 | Lumberton Line Consolidated School District | 12.41 | $11,866 | $33,730 |
60 | Itawamba County School District | 12.63 | $7,893 | $40,510 |
61 | Gulfport School District | 12.76 | $9,014 | $35,774 |
62 | Webster County School District | 12.79 | $7,836 | $40,683 |
63 | Biloxi Public School District | 12.90 | $9,467 | $43,946 |
64 | Newton County School District | 13.57 | $9,037 | $35,359 |
65 | Union County School District | 14.25 | $7,704 | $40,661 |
66 | Harrison County School District | 14.37 | $8,373 | $49,093 |
67 | Grenada Municipal Separate School District | 14.62 | $8,575 | $36,877 |
68 | Amory Municipal Separate School District | 14.67 | $8,265 | $38,155 |
69 | Simpson County School District | 14.74 | $8,308 | $37,946 |
70 | Oxford School District | 14.74 | $9,813 | $43,223 |
71 | Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District | 14.83 | $10,257 | $41,402 |
72 | Lincoln County School District | 14.99 | $7,016 | $43,248 |
73 | Attala County School District | 15.07 | $11,442 | $36,547 |
74 | Cleveland Consolidated School District 4 | 16.02 | $9,194 | $33,744 |
75 | Laurel Municipal Separate School District | 16.52 | $9,473 | $32,382 |
76 | West Bolivar Consolidated School | 16.78 | $11,003 | $25,888 |
77 | Yazoo County School District | 17.49 | $10,587 | $41,068 |
78 | South Pike Consolidated School District | 17.53 | $9,554 | $31,649 |
79 | Lauderdale County School District | 18.55 | $8,481 | $50,282 |
80 | Carroll County School District | 18.67 | $10,221 | $43,060 |
81 | Marion County School District | 19.25 | $9,442 | $31,441 |
82 | Kemper County School District | 19.31 | $13,843 | $28,176 |
83 | Tunica County School District | 19.33 | $11,536 | $37,822 |
84 | Greene County School District | 19.61 | $8,780 | $49,447 |
85 | North Tippah Consolidated School District | 19.87 | $8,568 | $34,848 |
86 | Amite County School District | 19.93 | $13,021 | $31,854 |
87 | Pontotoc County School District | 20.51 | $7,374 | $39,586 |
88 | Choctaw County School District | 20.56 | $11,800 | $37,203 |
89 | Quitman Consolidated School District | 20.68 | $8,830 | $33,438 |
90 | Hancock County School District | 20.70 | $8,039 | $52,969 |
91 | Clarksdale Municipal Separate School District | 21.11 | $9,244 | $31,540 |
92 | Sunflower County Consolidate School District | 21.61 | $9,558 | $30,029 |
93 | Neshoba County School District | 21.81 | $7,456 | $38,733 |
94 | Calhoun County School District | 21.96 | $7,991 | $36,440 |
95 | Corinth Municipal Separate School District | 21.98 | $7,934 | $36,672 |
96 | Columbia Municipal Separate School District | 22.23 | $9,160 | $31,452 |
97 | Newton Municipal Separate School District | 22.43 | $9,680 | $29,200 |
98 | Coahoma County School District | 22.83 | $10,227 | $26,759 |
99 | Philadelphia Pub School District | 22.98 | $8,713 | $33,022 |
100 | Claiborne County School District | 23.14 | $10,204 | $26,732 |
101 | Chickasaw County School District | 23.36 | $8,439 | $34,018 |
102 | East Tallahatchie Consol School District | 24.03 | $9,102 | $30,988 |
103 | Scott County School District | 25.93 | $7,998 | $34,854 |
104 | Mccomb School District | 26.84 | $9,668 | $27,522 |
105 | Walthall County School System | 28.27 | $8,987 | $29,804 |
106 | Union Municipal Separate School District | 28.32 | $8,024 | $33,807 |
107 | Perry County School District | 28.63 | $11,186 | $42,932 |
108 | Senatobia Municipal School District | 29.59 | $8,567 | $54,252 |
109 | Coffeeville Consolidated School District | 29.76 | $11,527 | $41,953 |
110 | Booneville School District | 30.43 | $8,336 | $31,676 |
111 | Leake County School District | 31.15 | $7,836 | $33,482 |
112 | Wilkinson County School District | 31.61 | $9,441 | $26,599 |
113 | Kosciusko Municipal Separate School District | 32.02 | $7,766 | $33,436 |
114 | Humphreys County School District | 32.16 | $8,932 | $28,507 |
115 | Moss Point Municipal Separate School District | 33.80 | $12,570 | $39,180 |
116 | Richton Municipal Separate School District | 34.42 | $7,928 | $31,818 |
117 | Greenwood Municipal Separate School District | 34.94 | $9,048 | $26,934 |
118 | Greenville Public School District | 34.98 | $8,897 | $27,550 |
119 | Lafayette County School District | 35.38 | $9,183 | $53,947 |
120 | Leflore County School District | 35.62 | $9,344 | $25,432 |
121 | Jackson County School District | 35.87 | $8,337 | $57,675 |
122 | North Bolivar Consolidated School | 37.51 | $9,887 | $22,420 |
123 | Forest Municipal Separate School District | 38.49 | $8,228 | $28,967 |
124 | Clinton Public School District | 38.55 | $7,624 | $61,702 |
125 | Petal Municipal Separate School District | 39.52 | $8,737 | $57,436 |
126 | Pearl River County School District | 40.29 | $8,114 | $60,340 |
127 | Tupelo Public School District | 41.30 | $10,816 | $49,446 |
128 | Jefferson County School District | 42.03 | $9,997 | $20,188 |
129 | Pass Christian Municipal Separate School District | 42.72 | $10,278 | $52,250 |
130 | Pascagoula Municipal Separate School District | 42.95 | $12,343 | $43,715 |
131 | Enterprise Consolidated School District | 43.40 | $8,429 | $60,242 |
132 | Desoto County School System | 44.66 | $7,368 | $65,169 |
133 | Ocean Springs School District | 46.03 | $8,080 | $62,733 |
134 | Lamar County School District | 47.75 | $8,267 | $62,627 |
135 | Hinds County School District | 48.33 | $9,408 | $58,088 |
136 | Holmes County School District | 51.28 | $8,895 | $21,163 |
137 | Lowndes County School District | 51.57 | $9,254 | $60,000 |
138 | Durant Municipal Separate School District | 53.33 | $8,806 | $20,733 |
139 | Yazoo City Municipal Separate School District | 63.73 | $7,055 | $23,970 |
140 | Rankin County School District | 67.02 | $8,548 | $69,009 |
141 | Montgomery County School District | 81.81 | $18,488 | $33,284 |
142 | Madison County School District | 105.51 | $9,271 | $81,082 |
*1=Most Equitable
Methodology
In order to rank the states with the most and least equitable school districts, WalletHub first scored 12,919 school districts throughout the U.S. based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
For expenditures, for each 1 percent above the state's average we removed 1 point from a base score of 50 points for each district. For household income, for each 1 percent above the state's average we added 1 point to a base score of 50 points for each district. The inverse was true for each 1 percent below the state's average.
The final score for each district was calculated by taking the absolute difference between the score for expenditures and the score for household income. We then ranked the districts based on the total score, with the lowest value, representing the most equitable, being ranked 1.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from of the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics.