Can I use Jackson County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Jackson County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Jackson County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Jackson County?

Start with the 46 listed public schools and 4 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Jackson County Schools & Education

Name: Jackson County, Mississippi Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Jackson County, Mississippi

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

34/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

88.3%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

88.3%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 87.1%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,577

National avg $13,239

State avg $5,954

School Score

34/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 27/100

State Score Position

#23

of 81 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Jackson County

Measured School Summary

Jackson County faces educational challenges with a school score of 34/100 and a graduation rate of 88.3%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $6,577 per pupil, Jackson County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 27% above the Mississippi average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 1.2 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 10% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Jackson 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

46 public schools and 4 districts 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

34/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #23 of 81 Mississippi counties with school score data.

Completion

88.3%

1.2 pts above the state average

Funding context

$6,577

$623 above the state average

School coverage

4 districts 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

Jackson County has 46 public schools across 4 districts, 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.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Jackson 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.

Review-carefully county

Jackson County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.

State position

#23

of 81 Mississippi counties with school score data. The county score is 7 points above 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.

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Elementary to high school visible

8,906 students

Elementary 7Middle 3High 4Other 0

14 listed schools in this county slice.

PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary to high school visible

6,565 students

Elementary 10Middle 4High 3Other 2

19 listed schools in this county slice.

OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST

Elementary to high school visible

5,861 students

Elementary 3Middle 2High 2Other 0

7 listed schools in this county slice.

MOSS POINT SEPARATE SCHOOL DIST

Elementary to high school visible

1,569 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 2Other 1

6 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT is the largest listed district slice, with 19 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 Jackson County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Jackson County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

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

Jackson County Per-Pupil Spending Exceeds Mississippi State Average

Education data brief for Jackson County, Mississippi.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Per-pupil spending

Jackson County invests $6,577 per pupil in its public education system, a figure that exceeds the Mississippi state average of $5,954. Despite being higher than the state norm, this spending level remains below the national average of $13,000. The county supports 46 public schools across four districts, serving 22,901 students. The largest of these is the Jackson County School District with 8,906 students, though the individual school with the highest enrollment is Ocean Springs High School at 1,899 students. Jackson County reports a graduation rate of 88.3%, which is higher than the state average of 87.1% and the national average of 87.0%. The county's composite school score of 34.2 is also above the state average of 26.9. Most schools are located in suburban areas. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Jackson County

Reported Enrollment

22,901

46 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary22

Middle10

High11

Other3

4 School Districts in Jackson County

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT

OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST

MOSS POINT SEPARATE SCHOOL DIST

6 schools

1,569 students

46 Public Schools in Jackson County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 6 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

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Showing 20 of 46 matching schools

Public schools in Jackson County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
OCEAN SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL	Profile	OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST	Ocean Springs, 39566Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	1,899
OCEAN SPRINGS UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHO	Profile	OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST	Ocean Springs, 39566Suburb: Midsize	4–6	Middle	1,332
ST MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL	Profile	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Ocean Springs, 39564Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	1,283
PASCAGOULA HIGH SCHOOL	Profile	PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT	Pascagoula, 39567Suburb: Small	9–12	High	1,187
ST. MARTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL	Profile	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Ocean Springs, 39564Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	995
OCEAN SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL	Profile	OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST	Ocean Springs, 39566Suburb: Midsize	7–8	Middle	967
GAUTIER HIGH SCHOOL	Record	PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT	Gautier, 39553Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	901
EAST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Hurley, 39555Rural: Distant	9–12	High	787
VANCLEAVE HIGH SCHOOL	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Vancleave, 39565Rural: Distant	9–12	High	737
ST MARTIN EAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	OCEAN SPRINGS, 39564Suburb: Midsize	PK–3	Primary	685
VANCLEAVE LOWER ELEMENTARY	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Vancleave, 39565Rural: Distant	KG–3	Primary	659
MAGNOLIA PARK ELEMENTARY	Record	OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST	Ocean Springs, 39566Suburb: Midsize	KG–3	Primary	635
ST MARTIN UPPER ELEMENTARY	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Ocean Springs, 39564Rural: Fringe	4–5	Primary	626
EAST CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Hurley, 39555Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	600
EAST CENTRAL LOWER ELEMENTARY	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Moss Point, 39562Rural: Distant	PK–2	Primary	576
WILLIAM M COLMER MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT	PASCAGOULA, 39581Suburb: Small	7–8	Middle	554
ST MARTIN N ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Biloxi, 39532Suburb: Midsize	KG–3	Primary	541
TRENT LOTT ACADEMY	Record	PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT	Pascagoula, 39567Suburb: Small	5–6	Middle	538
VANCLEAVE MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST	Vancleave, 39565Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	537
PECAN PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST	Ocean Springs, 39566Suburb: Midsize	KG–3	Primary	530

OCEAN SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL

OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST

Ocean Springs, 39566 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High1,899 students

OCEAN SPRINGS UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHO

OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST

Ocean Springs, 39566 / Suburb: Midsize

Profile4–6Middle1,332 students

ST MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Ocean Springs, 39564 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High1,283 students

PASCAGOULA HIGH SCHOOL

PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT

Pascagoula, 39567 / Suburb: Small

Profile9–12High1,187 students

ST. MARTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Ocean Springs, 39564 / Rural: Fringe

Profile6–8Middle995 students

OCEAN SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL

OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST

Ocean Springs, 39566 / Suburb: Midsize

Profile7–8Middle967 students

GAUTIER HIGH SCHOOL

PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT

Gautier, 39553 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High901 students

EAST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Hurley, 39555 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High787 students

VANCLEAVE HIGH SCHOOL

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Vancleave, 39565 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High737 students

ST MARTIN EAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

OCEAN SPRINGS, 39564 / Suburb: Midsize

RecordPK–3Primary685 students

VANCLEAVE LOWER ELEMENTARY

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Vancleave, 39565 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–3Primary659 students

MAGNOLIA PARK ELEMENTARY

OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST

Ocean Springs, 39566 / Suburb: Midsize

RecordKG–3Primary635 students

ST MARTIN UPPER ELEMENTARY

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Ocean Springs, 39564 / Rural: Fringe

Record4–5Primary626 students

EAST CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Hurley, 39555 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle600 students

EAST CENTRAL LOWER ELEMENTARY

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Moss Point, 39562 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–2Primary576 students

WILLIAM M COLMER MIDDLE SCHOOL

PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT

PASCAGOULA, 39581 / Suburb: Small

Record7–8Middle554 students

ST MARTIN N ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Biloxi, 39532 / Suburb: Midsize

RecordKG–3Primary541 students

TRENT LOTT ACADEMY

PASCAGOULA-GAUTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT

Pascagoula, 39567 / Suburb: Small

Record5–6Middle538 students

VANCLEAVE MIDDLE SCHOOL

JACKSON CO SCHOOL DIST

Vancleave, 39565 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle537 students

PECAN PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

OCEAN SPRINGS SCHOOL DIST

Ocean Springs, 39566 / Suburb: Midsize

RecordKG–3Primary530 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,577

State avg $5,954

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Jackson County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Mississippi counties have the highest graduation rates?

Holmes County (97.0%), Montgomery County (97.0%), and Quitman County (97.0%) currently lead Mississippi among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Mississippi?

Across Mississippi counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $5,954. The highest current county values are Choctaw County ($8,216), Kemper County ($7,706), and Franklin County ($7,289). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Jackson County?

Jackson County has a school score of 34/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Jackson County?

The high school graduation rate in Jackson County is 88.3%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Jackson County spend per student?

Jackson County spends $6,577 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

DeSoto County

Mississippi

+0 pts

34/100

School score

Kemper County

Mississippi

+1 pts

36/100

School score

Madison County

Mississippi

-2 pts

32/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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.

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