Smith County Schools & Education
Smith County, Mississippi
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
24/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
89.0%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
89.0%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 87.1%
Per-Pupil Spending
$5,359
National avg $13,239
State avg $5,954
School Score
24/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 27/100
State Score Position
#45
of 81 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Smith County
Measured School Summary
Smith County faces educational challenges with a school score of 24/100 and a graduation rate of 89.0%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $5,359 per pupil, Smith County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 11% below the Mississippi average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 1.9 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 10% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Smith 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
6 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
24/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #45 of 81 Mississippi counties with school score data.
Completion
89.0%
1.9 pts above the state average
Funding context
$5,359
$595 below the state average
School coverage
6
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
Smith County has 6 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 Smith 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
Smith 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
#45
of 81 Mississippi counties with school score data. The county score is 3 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.
SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST
Elementary and high visible
2,443 students
6 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST is the largest listed district slice, with 6 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 Smith 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
Smith County Per-Pupil Spending and Rural School Directory Overview
Education data brief for Smith County, Mississippi.
Education spending in Smith County is $5,359 per pupil, among the lower figures in Mississippi compared to the state average of $5,954 and well below the national average of $13,000. The county's education system is entirely rural, consisting of six schools managed by the Smith County School District. These schools serve 2,443 students, with an average school size of 611 students. The graduation rate is 89%, which is slightly higher than the state average of 87.1% and the national average of 87%. The composite school score is 24, which is lower than the state average of 26.9 and the national median of 50. Several campuses are organized as attendance centers, such as Mize Attendance Center, which enrolls 787 students. 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
6
in Smith County
Reported Enrollment
2,443
6 schools reporting
School Districts
1
district
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
1 School District in Smith County
SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST
6 Public Schools in Smith 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 6 of 6 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIZE ATTENDANCE CENTER | Record | SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST | MIZE, 39116Rural: Distant | PK–12 | Other | 787 |
| TAYLORSVILLE ATTENDANCE CENTER | Record | SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST | TAYLORSVILLE, 39168Rural: Remote | PK–12 | Other | 627 |
| RALEIGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Record | SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST | RALEIGH, 39153Rural: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 587 |
| RALEIGH HIGH SCHOOL | Record | SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST | RALEIGH, 39153Rural: Remote | 7–12 | High | 442 |
| COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER | Record | SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST | RALEIGH, 39153Rural: Remote | 3–12 | Alternative | 0 |
| SMITH COUNTY CAREER CENTER | Record | SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST | RALEIGH, 39153Rural: Remote | 9–12 | Vocational | 0 |
TAYLORSVILLE ATTENDANCE CENTER
SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST
TAYLORSVILLE, 39168 / Rural: Remote
RALEIGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST
RALEIGH, 39153 / Rural: Remote
COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER
SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST
RALEIGH, 39153 / Rural: Remote
SMITH COUNTY CAREER CENTER
SMITH CO SCHOOL DIST
RALEIGH, 39153 / Rural: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$5,359
State avg $5,954
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Smith 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?
What is per-pupil spending like in Mississippi?
How should I read the school score in Smith County?
What is the graduation rate in Smith County?
How much does Smith 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.