Benton County Schools & Education
Benton County, Mississippi
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
17/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
82.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
82.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 87.1%
Per-Pupil Spending
$6,262
National avg $13,239
State avg $5,954
School Score
17/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 27/100
State Score Position
#59
of 81 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Benton County
Measured School Summary
Benton County faces educational challenges with a school score of 17/100 and a graduation rate of 82.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $6,262 per pupil, Benton County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 36% below the Mississippi average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 5.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 5% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Benton County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
4 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
17/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #59 of 81 Mississippi counties with school score data.
Completion
82.0%
5.1 pts below the state average
Funding context
$6,262
$308 above the state average
School coverage
4
1 district represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Benton County has 4 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Benton County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Small-system county
Benton County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.
State position
#59
of 81 Mississippi counties with school score data. The county score is 10 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST
Elementary and high visible
961 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST is the largest listed district slice, with 4 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Benton County?
Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?
Where do students transition after the visible grade band, and is that next school inside the same district path?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Benton County School Score Remains Below State Average
Education data brief for Benton County, Mississippi.
Benton County reports a composite school score of 17.3, which is significantly lower than the Mississippi state average of 26.9 and the national median of 50.0. The Benton County School District manages four public schools, all located in rural settings, with a total enrollment of 961 students. The largest school is the Hickory Flat Attendance Center, which serves 465 students in a PK–12 configuration. The county's graduation rate is 82.0%, trailing the state average of 87.1% and the national rate of 87.0%. Spending per pupil is $6,262, which exceeds the state average of $5,954 but is less than half of the national average of $13,000. With an average school size of 320 students, the district operates without charter school presence. Readers should consult the NCES Common Core of Data for individual school-level reports.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
4
in Benton County
Reported Enrollment
961
4 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in Benton County
BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST
4 Public Schools in Benton County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 4 of 4 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HICKORY FLAT ATTENDANCE CENTER | Record | BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST | Hickory Flat, 38633Rural: Distant | PK–12 | Other | 465 |
| ASHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Record | BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST | Ashland, 38603Rural: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 274 |
| ASHLAND MIDDLE-HIGH SCHOOL | Record | BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST | Ashland, 38603Rural: Remote | 7–12 | High | 222 |
| BENTON CO REGIONAL VOCATIONAL CEN | Record | BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST | Ashland, 38603Rural: Remote | 9–12 | Vocational | 0 |
HICKORY FLAT ATTENDANCE CENTER
BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST
Hickory Flat, 38633 / Rural: Distant
ASHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST
Ashland, 38603 / Rural: Remote
ASHLAND MIDDLE-HIGH SCHOOL
BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST
Ashland, 38603 / Rural: Remote
BENTON CO REGIONAL VOCATIONAL CEN
BENTON CO SCHOOL DIST
Ashland, 38603 / Rural: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$6,262
State avg $5,954
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Benton County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which Mississippi counties have the highest graduation rates?
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What is the graduation rate in Benton County?
How much does Benton County spend per student?
Counties with Similar School Profile
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.