Demographics
White Students Fall Below 41% in Mississippi
White enrollment hit a record-low 40.5% of Mississippi public school students in 2026 as both white and Black groups decline.
Mississippi
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Mississippi, grounded in Mississippi Department of Education data.
Mississippi's Kindergarten Classes Shrank 15%. High Schools Haven't Felt It Yet.
Kindergarten enrollment fell 14.7% since 2016 while 12th grade barely moved. As smaller cohorts age up, high school enrollment will eventually collapse too.
87 Mississippi Districts Hit Record-Low Enrollment
More than half of Mississippi's 152 school districts are at their lowest enrollment ever recorded, led by Jackson, Vicksburg, and Meridian.
Only 12 of 143 Districts Have Recovered from COVID
Mississippi lost 23,390 students in the pandemic year. Five years later, it has lost 18,035 more. Only 12 traditional districts recovered.
Mississippi's Charter Sector Hits 1%, but 15% of Jackson
Mississippi's 10 charter schools enroll just 1% of students statewide. In Jackson, six charters now claim 15% of the combined enrollment pool.
More Coverage
District Spotlight
The Delta Is Losing a Third of Its Students
Six Mississippi Delta school districts have lost 5,687 students since 2016, a 34.8% decline that is 2.7 times the statewide rate.
Enrollment
Mississippi Has Lost Students Every Year for a Decade
Ten consecutive years of decline have cost Mississippi 62,661 public school students, a 12.9% drop with no reversal in sight.
Demographics
DeSoto County Crossed a Line in 2024
Mississippi's largest school district saw Black students overtake White enrollment for the first time in 2024, completing a demographic transformation two decades in the making.
District Spotlight
Jackson Lost 11,000 Students in a Decade
Once Mississippi's second-largest district, Jackson Public Schools has shed 39.4% of enrollment since 2016, closed 23 schools, and dropped to third in size.
Enrollment
Mississippi Publishes 2025-26 Enrollment Data
MDE releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing 424,534 students statewide, down 10,725 from the prior year.