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DeSoto County School District, Mississippi

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DeSoto County School District
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DeSoto County, Mississippi
District details
Superintendent: Cory Uselton
# of school board members: 5
Website: Link

DeSoto County School District is a school district in Mississippi.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

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 		This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Cory Uselton is the superintendent of the DeSoto County School District. Uselton was appointed superintendent in 2015. Uselton's previous career experience includes working as the principal of DeSoto Central High School.[1][2]

School board

The DeSoto County School District Board of Education consists of five members elected to six-year terms. Members are elected by district.[3]

Elections

See also: DeSoto County School District, Mississippi, elections

Members of the DeSoto County School District Board of Education are elected to six-year terms. Elections are held in November.[3]

Two seats on the board were up for special election on November 5, 2024. A runoff election was scheduled for November 26, 2024.


Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.


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Public participation in board meetings

The DeSoto County School District Board of Education maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[4]

“ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Public comments will be allowed only at the regular school board meeting. Thirty minutes will be allocated for public comments with each participant given up to five (5) minutes. In the event that groups or individuals wish to be included on the agenda to address the Board for up to ten (10) minutes, they must contact the Board Secretary or Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent to obtain the proper forms. The forms must be returned no later than four o'clock p.m. on the Thursday preceding the regular board meeting to be included on the agenda.[5]

”


School board meetings

The following articles were produced by Citizen Portal using artificial intelligence to analyze public meetings. Citizen Portal publishes articles based on the availability of meeting broadcasts, so the number of articles provided may vary by district. Although these articles are not produced or edited by Ballotpedia, they are included here as a supplemental resource for readers.

School board meeting articles (click to collapse)


District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[6]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $51,395,000 $1,491 14%
Local: $121,691,000 $3,530 34%
State: $186,825,000 $5,420 52%
Total: $359,911,000 $10,442
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $328,694,000 $9,535
Total Current Expenditures: $302,557,000 $8,777
Instructional Expenditures: $180,301,000 $5,230 55%
Student and Staff Support: $31,361,000 $909 10%
Administration: $31,479,000 $913 10%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $56,856,000 $1,649 17%
Total Capital Outlay: $23,589,000 $684
Construction: $15,980,000 $463
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $178,000 $5
Interest on Debt: $2,370,000 $68


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2024-2025[7] $48,201 $78,484
2020-2021[8] $47,101 $77,384
2020-2021[9] $39,871 $73,234

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[10]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 48 61 30 45 >=50 46 65
2018-2019 61 77 45 59 60-79 56 74
2017-2018 61 76 45 58 60-79 53 73
2016-2017 58 73 42 55 >=80 49 70
2015-2016 52 75 37 48 60-79 40 63
2014-2015 44 70-74 28 38 21-39 25-29 54
2013-2014 68 85-89 54 64 60-69 40-59 77
2012-2013 82 90-94 71 80 60-79 88
2011-2012 76 90-94 63 76 60-79 83
2010-2011 72 85-89 59 70 >=80 79

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 42 53 27 33 <50 40 57
2018-2019 48 56 32 37 40-59 45 62
2017-2018 48 60 32 39 60-79 45 61
2016-2017 46 59 30 38 21-39 40 58
2015-2016 43 60 28 33 40-59 35 54
2014-2015 43 61 28 34 21-39 30-34 52
2013-2014 62 75-79 47 53 60-69 40-59 70
2012-2013 71 85-89 58 64 40-59 79
2011-2012 68 80-84 54 61 60-79 76
2010-2011 65 75-79 50 57 60-79 73

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 92 >=90 90 90-94 PS 85-89 94
2018-2019 89 >=90 86 90-94 PS 90-94 91
2017-2018 88 >=90 86 80-84 PS 70-79 91
2016-2017 89 >=90 87 85-89 PS 80-89 91
2015-2016 89 >=90 88 90-94 PS 60-79 90
2014-2015 90 >=90 88 85-89 >=50 91
2013-2014 90 >=90 85 80-84 PS PS 93
2012-2013 85 >=90 82 80-84 87
2011-2012 86 >=90 82 80-84 88
2010-2011 85 >=90 79 90-94 88


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 34,819 -0.5
2022-2023 35,003 1.5
2021-2022 34,469 1.2
2020-2021 34,067 -2.0
2019-2020 34,752 1.0
2018-2019 34,392 1.2
2017-2018 33,991 1.3
2016-2017 33,537 1.2
2015-2016 33,140 -0.4
2014-2015 33,275 0.7
2013-2014 33,054 0.9
2012-2013 32,759 1.4
2011-2012 32,311 1.2
2010-2011 31,916 2.2
2009-2010 31,213 1.9
2008-2009 30,616 2.4
2007-2008 29,886 3.8
2006-2007 28,738 5.5
2005-2006 27,166 6.9
2004-2005 25,298 6.4
2003-2004 23,672 6.5
2002-2003 22,145 5.5
2001-2002 20,920 5.3
2000-2001 19,812 4.5
1999-2000 18,917 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE DeSoto County School District (%) Mississippi K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.1 0.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.7 1.1
Black 42.0 46.9
Hispanic 6.0 5.0
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 9.4 4.6
White 40.8 42.1

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2023-2024 school year, DeSoto County School District had 2,415.50 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 14.41.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 28.40
Kindergarten: 120.51
Elementary: 1,202.95
Secondary: 711.76
Total: 2,415.50

DeSoto County School District employed 26.44 district administrators and 125.88 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 26.44
District Administrative Support: 118.85
School Administrators: 125.88
School Administrative Support: 181.91
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 626.79
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 37.40
Total Guidance Counselors: 76.93
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 47.30
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 29.63
Librarians/Media Specialists: 38.38
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 179.55
Other Support Services: 656.19


Schools

The DeSoto County School District operates 42 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Center Hill Elementary School789KG-5
Center Hill High School1,0549-12
Center Hill Middle7686-8
Chickasaw Elementary School4792-3
Desoto Central Elementary School8203-5
Desoto Central High School2,0119-12
Desoto Central Middle School1,4076-8
Desoto Central Primary847KG-2
Desoto Co Career Center East010-12
Desoto County Alternative Center0KG-12
Desoto Co Voc Complex09-12
Greenbrook Elementary School582KG-2
Hernando Elem744KG-1
Hernando High School1,4829-12
Hernando Hills Elementary7502-3
Hernando Middle School1,1476-8
Hope Sullivan Elementary School553KG-2
Horn Lake Elem509PK-2
Horn Lake High1,2919-12
Horn Lake Intermediate School8823-5
Horn Lake Middle School9936-8
Lake Cormorant Elementary639PK-5
Lake Cormorant High9749-12
Lake Cormorant Middle7126-8
Lewisburg Elementary School6032-3
Lewisburg High School1,2869-12
Lewisburg Intermediate5874-5
Lewisburg Middle1,0056-8
Lewisburg Primary579PK-1
Oak Grove Central Elementary7674-5
Olive Branch Elem512PK-1
Olive Branch High School1,0779-12
Olive Branch Intermediate School4394-5
Olive Branch Middle7146-8
Overpark Elementary645PK-5
Pleasant Hill Elementary1,075PK-5
Shadow Oaks Elementary School433KG-2
Southaven Elementary666PK-5
Southaven High School1,8259-12
Southaven Intermediate School9973-5
Southaven Middle School1,4516-8
Walls Elementary School725PK-5

Contact information

DeSoto County School District logo 2.png
DeSoto County School District
5 E. South St.
Hernando, MS 38632
Phone: 662-429-5271


About school boards

Education legislation in Mississippi

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Mississippi School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ WREG, "New superintendent discusses plans for DeSoto County Schools," August 26, 2015
  2. ↑ Local 24, "DeSoto Superintendent Candidate Spotlight: Cory Uselton," July 28, 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 DeSoto County School District, "Section A: School District Organization; Policy Code ABCC: Board Member Term of Office," accessed April 26, 2021
  4. ↑ DeSoto County School District, "School Board Meetings: Public Participation," accessed January 24, 2024
  5. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  6. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
  7. ↑ DeSoto County School District, "DeSoto County Schools 2024-2025 Licensed Salary Schedule 187 Day Salary Scale," accessed February 3, 2024
  8. ↑ DeSoto County School District, "DeSoto County Schools 2023-2024 Licensed Salary Schedule 187 Day Salary Scale," accessed February 3, 2024
  9. ↑ DeSoto County School District, "DeSoto County Schools 2020-2021 Licensed Salary Schedule 187 Day Salary Scale," accessed April 26, 2021
  10. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
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