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

No. Use the Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton County?

Start with the 11 listed public schools and 3 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Newton County Schools & Education

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

Newton County, Mississippi

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

School Score

22/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

86.4%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

86.4%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 87.1%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,029

National avg $13,239

State avg $5,954

School Score

22/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 27/100

State Score Position

#50

of 81 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Newton County

Measured School Summary

Newton County faces educational challenges with a school score of 22/100 and a graduation rate of 86.4%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $6,029 per pupil, Newton County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 17% below the Mississippi average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 0.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 1% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Newton 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

11 public schools and 3 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

22/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #50 of 81 Mississippi counties with school score data.

Completion

86.4%

0.7 pts below the state average

Funding context

$6,029

$75 above the state average

School coverage

3 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

Newton County has 11 public schools across 3 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 Newton 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

Newton 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

#50

of 81 Mississippi counties with school score data. The county score is 5 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.

NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary and high visible

1,688 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 2

4 listed schools in this county slice.

UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST

Elementary to high school visible

927 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Elementary to high school visible

816 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 2Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 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 Newton County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Newton 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

Newton County Education Split Across Three Independent School Districts

Education data brief for Newton County, Mississippi.

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

Lead metric:District structure

Newton County’s public education system is structured into three separate school districts serving a total enrollment of 3,431 students. The Newton County School District is the largest, managing four schools and 1,688 students, while the Newton Municipal and Union Public school districts manage the remainder. This decentralized structure oversees 11 schools, with a mix of seven rural and four town locales. The county-wide graduation rate of 86.4% is near the national average of 87.0% and the state average of 87.1%. Education spending is recorded at $6,029 per pupil, slightly exceeding the Mississippi average of $5,954 but remaining well below the national average of $13,000. The composite school score for the county is 22.4, compared to the state average of 26.9 and a national median of 50.0. Newton County Elementary is the largest individual school, with 877 students. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.

Sources

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

School Overview

Total Schools

in Newton County

Reported Enrollment

3,431

11 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle2

High4

Other2

3 School Districts in Newton County

NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

4 schools

1,688 students

UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST

3 schools

927 students

NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

4 schools

816 students

11 Public Schools in Newton 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 data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 11 of 11 matching schools

Public schools in Newton County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
NEWTON COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Decatur, 39327Rural: Distant	PK–6	Primary	877
NEWTON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL	Record	NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Decatur, 39327Rural: Distant	6–12	High	811
NEWTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Newton, 39345Town: Remote	PK–5	Primary	389
UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST	UNION, 39365Rural: Remote	PK–4	Primary	360
UNION HIGH SCHOOL	Record	UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST	UNION, 39365Rural: Remote	9–12	High	289
UNION MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST	UNION, 39365Rural: Remote	5–8	Middle	278
NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL	Record	NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Newton, 39345Town: Remote	9–12	High	248
N H PILATE MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Newton, 39345Town: Remote	6–8	Middle	179
EAST CENTRAL ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL	Record	NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Decatur, 39327Rural: Distant	3–12	Alternative	0
NEWTON COUNTY VOC COMPLEX	Record	NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Decatur, 39327Rural: Distant	PK–12	Vocational	0
NEWTON MUNICIPAL CAREER CENTER	Record	NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Newton, 39345Town: Remote	9–12	Vocational	0

NEWTON COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Decatur, 39327 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–6Primary877 students

NEWTON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Decatur, 39327 / Rural: Distant

Record6–12High811 students

NEWTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Newton, 39345 / Town: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary389 students

UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST

UNION, 39365 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–4Primary360 students

UNION HIGH SCHOOL

UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST

UNION, 39365 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High289 students

UNION MIDDLE SCHOOL

UNION PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST

UNION, 39365 / Rural: Remote

Record5–8Middle278 students

NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL

NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Newton, 39345 / Town: Remote

Record9–12High248 students

N H PILATE MIDDLE SCHOOL

NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Newton, 39345 / Town: Remote

Record6–8Middle179 students

EAST CENTRAL ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL

NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Decatur, 39327 / Rural: Distant

Record3–12Alternative0 students

NEWTON COUNTY VOC COMPLEX

NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Decatur, 39327 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–12Vocational0 students

NEWTON MUNICIPAL CAREER CENTER

NEWTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Newton, 39345 / Town: Remote

Record9–12Vocational0 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,029

State avg $5,954

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Newton 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 Newton County?

Newton County has a school score of 22/100, 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 Newton County?

The high school graduation rate in Newton County is 86.4%, which is below 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 Newton County spend per student?

Newton County spends $6,029 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

Lauderdale County

Mississippi

0 pts

22/100

School score

Pontotoc County

Mississippi

-0 pts

22/100

School score

Itawamba County

Mississippi

-1 pts

22/100

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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