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DeSoto County School District, Mississippi, elections

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DeSoto County School District
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District details
School board members: 5
Students: 34,819 (2023-2024)
Schools: 42 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

DeSoto County School District is a school district in Mississippi (DeSoto County). During the 2024 school year, 34,819 students attended one of the district's 42 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

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Elections

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DeSoto County Board of Education District 3

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 3

Incumbent Jerald Wheeler won election in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 3 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Jerald Wheeler (Nonpartisan)
 
98.3
 
8,370
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.7
 
147

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,517
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 4

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 4

Incumbent Shelia Riley defeated Todd Mayo in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 4 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Shelia Riley (Nonpartisan)
 
69.5
 
7,477
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Todd Mayo (Nonpartisan)
 
29.9
 
3,215
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
73

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 10,765
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 3

General election

Special general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 3

Incumbent Jerald Wheeler defeated Bacardi Harris in the special general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 3 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Jerald Wheeler (Nonpartisan)
 
67.3
 
2,873
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Bacardi Harris (Nonpartisan)
 
32.7
 
1,397

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 4,270
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 1

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 1

Josh Sullivan defeated James Wright in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 1 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Josh Sullivan (Nonpartisan)
 
54.6
 
3,880
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James Wright (Nonpartisan)
 
44.9
 
3,191
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6
 
41

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 7,112
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 2

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 2

Incumbent Michele Henley defeated April Wright in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 2 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Michele Henley (Nonpartisan)
 
60.6
 
4,370
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April Wright (Nonpartisan)
 
38.7
 
2,791
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
47

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 7,208
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 5

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 5

Charles Barton defeated Larry Sylvester and incumbent Sarah Doss Thomas in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 5 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Charles Barton (Nonpartisan)
 
56.2
 
10,615
Image of Larry Sylvester
Larry Sylvester (Nonpartisan)
 
22.8
 
4,306
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Sarah Doss Thomas (Nonpartisan)
 
21.0
 
3,957

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 18,878
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 3

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 3

Incumbent Ann Jolley defeated Bacardi Harris in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 3 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Ann Jolley (Nonpartisan)
 
59.6
 
3,484
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Bacardi Harris (Nonpartisan)
 
39.7
 
2,324
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
41

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 5,849
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 4

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 4

Incumbent Shelia Riley defeated Jeny Black Price and Elsie Geanes Miller in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 4 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Shelia Riley (Nonpartisan)
 
58.1
 
3,767
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Jeny Black Price (Nonpartisan)
 
22.6
 
1,469
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Elsie Geanes Miller (Nonpartisan)
 
18.4
 
1,191
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9
 
61

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,488
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 1

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 1

Incumbent Milton Nichols won election in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 1 on November 8, 2016.

Candidate
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Milton Nichols (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 2

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 2

Incumbent Michele Henley won election in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 2 on November 8, 2016.

Candidate
✔
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Michele Henley (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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DeSoto County Board of Education District 5

General election

General election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 5

Incumbent Sarah Doss Thomas won election in the general election for DeSoto County Board of Education District 5 on November 4, 2014.

Candidate
✔
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Sarah Doss Thomas (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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About the district

School board

The DeSoto County School District consists of five members serving six-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Jerald WheelerDistrict 320222030
Shelia RileyDistrict 420192030
Josh SullivanDistrict 120232029
Michele HenleyDistrict 220172029
Charles BartonDistrict 520212027

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

DeSoto County School District
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Mississippi House of Representatives District 25Dan EubanksRepublican Party 24% 100%
Mississippi House of Representatives District 28Doc HarrisRepublican Party 22% 100%
Mississippi House of Representatives District 9Cedric BurnettDemocratic Party 14% 6%
Mississippi House of Representatives District 6Justin KeenRepublican Party 11% 100%
Mississippi House of Representatives District 24Jeff HaleRepublican Party 11% 100%
Mississippi House of Representatives District 52Bill KinkadeRepublican Party 6% 16%
Mississippi House of Representatives District 20Rodney HallRepublican Party 4% 100%
Mississippi House of Representatives District 7Kimberly RemakRepublican Party 4% 100%
Mississippi House of Representatives District 40Hester Jackson-McCrayDemocratic Party 3% 100%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

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

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. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

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 (%)
2021-2022 61 77 45 57 <50 62 76
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 (%)
2021-2022 49 62 34 40 >=50 52 64
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 (%)
2021-2022 93 >=90 92 >=95 PS 90-94 93
2020-2021 92 >=90 91 >=95 PS 80-84 93
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

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

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

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

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 following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

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

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)

About school boards

Education legislation in Mississippi

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Mississippi
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2021-22 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed October 18, 2025
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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