District profile / Mississippi

DeSoto County School District

Hernando, Mississippi · Public school district · #1 of 109 Mississippi districts by enrollment

Compare with peers

34,934

Students

2024-25 school year

Schools

2024-25 school year

$8,264

Spending per student

FY2020-21 · 18% below the Mississippi median

15.3

Students per teacher

2024-25 · Mississippi median 13.3

DeSoto County School District is a public school district based in Hernando, Mississippi, serving 34,934 students in 42 schools. By enrollment it ranks #1 of the 109 Mississippi districts with 1,000 or more students, making it the largest in the state. Its schools average 832 students each, more than the Mississippi median of 399. It spends about $8,264 per student on day-to-day operations, 18% less than the Mississippi median. It has roughly 15.3 students per teacher.

How DeSoto County compares

DeSoto CountyMississippi median, districts with 1,000+ students

Spending per student$8,264

Mississippi median $10,034 · 18% below · FY2020-21

Instruction spending per student$5,017

Mississippi median $5,828 · 14% below · FY2020-21

Students per school832

Mississippi median 399 · 109% above · 2024-25

Students per teacher15.3

Mississippi median 13.3 · 15% above · 2024-25

Students per counselor431

Mississippi median 382 · 13% above · 2024-25

Spending and staffing

Where the money comes from$345.1 million in revenue · FY2020-21

Federal 15%State 52%Local 33%

Measure	DeSoto County	Mississippi median	Year
Current spending per student	$8,264	$10,034	FY2020-21
Instruction spending per student	$5,017	$5,828	FY2020-21
Total spending	$345.2 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Total revenue	$345.1 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Teachers (full-time equivalent)	2,282	n/a	2024-25
Total staff (full-time equivalent)	4,504	n/a	2024-25
Students per teacher	15.3	13.3	2024-25
Students per counselor	431	382	2024-25

Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Mississippi median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.

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Peer districts in Mississippi

Compare side by side →

District	Students	Schools	Spending per student	Students per teacher	Rank
DeSoto County School DistrictHernando · this district	34,934	42	$8,264	15.3	#1
Rankin County School DistrictBrandon	18,196	28	$9,860	13.0	#2
Jackson Public SchoolsJackson	17,429	41	$11,220	13.9	#3
Harrison County School DistrictGulfport	14,253	24	$9,935	15.3	#4
Madison County SchoolsRidgeland	12,926	23	$10,368	12.0	#5

Similar-size districts nationally

District	Students	Spending per student	Students per teacher
Mansfield ISDMansfield, TX	35,354	$9,503	14.9
Cincinnati Public SchoolsCincinnati, OH	34,531	$16,345	15.9
Adams 12 Five Star SchoolsThornton, CO	34,466	$12,402	17.3
Peoria Unified School District (4237)Glendale, AZ	34,436	$8,957	18.6

Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.

Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-ms-desoto-county-school-district