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B+

Jones County School District

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 4 towns

Serves Laurel, Ellisville, Sandersville and Soso.

Laurel’s School Grade B better than 56% of Mississippi school districts

Students
8,693
Schools
9
Spent per student
$10,265
MS $12,392
Students per teacher
13:1
Free or reduced lunch
69%
Debt
$7.5M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Jones County School District

  • Its letter, B+: results better than 68% of Mississippi districts
  • Spends 17% less per student than the MS average
  • 13 students per teacher
  • Enrollment up 7.7% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $7.5M, about $864 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B+: better than 68% of the 150 Mississippi school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math close to the state, 2021–22
B+
GraduationFour-year graduation above the state, class of 2023
B
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
BLaurel 17,662B+Ellisville 4,473Sandersville 622Soso 416

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Laurel. Grade by grade →

PK–62 schoolsLaurel School District
7–8Laurel Middle SchoolLaurel School District
9–12Laurel High SchoolLaurel School District

Test scores vs. MS

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency48%
State average 47% · 4,375 students tested
Reading / language arts43%
State average 41.7% · 4,413 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)92%
State average 89.4% · 598 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$10,265 per student · 17% below MS
Spending
Classroom instruction 65%Support & administration 29%Other 6%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 27%State 52%Federal 21%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
8,073’20
8,541’21
8,524’22
8,581’23
8,693’24

Up 7.7% since 2020–21.

Students
White 61%Black 20%Hispanic 15%Two or more races 4%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Asian <1%

Schools in the district

9 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Mississippi’s other public schools.

South Jones Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Ellisville
B
1,129 students15:1
West Jones Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Laurel
B
1,114 students14:1
North Jones Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Laurel
B+
854 students14:1
East Jones Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Laurel
B+
794 students13:1
Moselle Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Moselle
A−
554 students12:1
Glade Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Laurel
A−
423 students12:1
West Jones High School
High · Grades 7–13 · Laurel
B
1,587 students14:1
South Jones High School
High · Grades 7–13 · Ellisville
B
1,300 students13:1
Northeast Jones High School
High · Grades 7–13 · Laurel
B+
938 students10:1

Left off: 2 schools reporting no students for 2024–25.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Mississippi.