Last year, Mississippi, including state, local, and federal sources, spent $10,421 per student, according to the Mississippi Department of Education. This total is based on average daily attendance, which was 432,198. The year prior, Mississippi spent $10,034 per student, the first time the state eclipsed $10,000 per student.
Spending per student has continued to increase in Mississippi. In 2012, the state was spending $8,920 per student. It increased to $9,209 in 2013, $9,394 in 2014, $9,704 in 2015, and $9,781 in 2016.
Simultaneous to the increase in per-student-expenditures, the average daily attendance has also decreased each year. While that number was slightly above 432,000 this year, it was 461,000 in 2012. This represents a drop of more than 6 percent. Enrollment numbers decreased again for the 2019-2020 school year, and, presuming education funding is not reduced, the per- student-average will only continue to increase.