District profile / Mississippi

Lauderdale County School District

Meridian, Mississippi · Public school district · #13 of 109 Mississippi districts by enrollment

Compare with peers

5,940

Students

2024-25 school year

Schools

2024-25 school year

$10,732

Spending per student

FY2020-21 · 7% above the Mississippi median

13.1

Students per teacher

2024-25 · Mississippi median 13.3

Lauderdale County School District is a public school district based in Meridian, Mississippi, serving 5,940 students in 11 schools. By enrollment it ranks #13 of the 109 Mississippi districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 89% of them. Its schools average 540 students each, more than the Mississippi median of 399. It spends about $10,732 per student on day-to-day operations, 7% more than the Mississippi median. It has roughly 13.1 students per teacher.

How Lauderdale County compares

Lauderdale CountyMississippi median, districts with 1,000+ students

Spending per student$10,732

Mississippi median $10,034 · 7% above · FY2020-21

Instruction spending per student$6,247

Mississippi median $5,828 · 7% above · FY2020-21

Students per school540

Mississippi median 399 · 35% above · 2024-25

Students per teacher13.1

Mississippi median 13.3 · about the same · 2024-25

Students per counselor540

Mississippi median 382 · 41% above · 2024-25

Spending and staffing

Where the money comes from$62.2 million in revenue · FY2020-21

Federal 17%State 55%Local 29%

Measure	Lauderdale County	Mississippi median	Year
Current spending per student	$10,732	$10,034	FY2020-21
Instruction spending per student	$6,247	$5,828	FY2020-21
Total spending	$65.7 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Total revenue	$62.2 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Teachers (full-time equivalent)	452	n/a	2024-25
Total staff (full-time equivalent)	856	n/a	2024-25
Students per teacher	13.1	13.3	2024-25
Students per counselor	540	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
Lee CountyTupelo	6,343	15	$9,610	12.5	#12
Lauderdale County School DistrictMeridian · this district	5,940	11	$10,732	13.1	#13
Gulfport School DistrictGulfport	5,927	11	$9,989	13.6	#14
Biloxi Public School DistrictBiloxi	5,699	9	$10,869	13.7	#15
Ocean Springs School DistrictOcean Springs	5,677	7	$9,355	13.6	#16

Similar-size districts nationally

District	Students	Spending per student	Students per teacher
Lee CountyLeesburg, GA	5,949	$10,358	14.7
Middletown CityMiddletown, OH	5,946	$11,670	15.8
Westfield Public School DistrictWestfield, NJ	5,931	$20,303	11.8
Brunswick CityBrunswick, OH	5,931	$11,283	17.7

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-lauderdale-county-school-district