Pine Belt Times

There were 1,475 students enrolled in Perry County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.6% fewer than the previous year, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.

Boys made up 52.3% of the county's student body, while the other 47.7% were girls.

Data also showed that white students made up 67% of the student body, the largest percentage in Perry County schools, followed by Black students with 26.5% and 1.2% multiracial students.

Richton Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Perry County’s six schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 299 students.

Mississippi's schools, with an enrollment of 436,523 in the 2023-24 academic year, are mostly divided between two ethnicities, with Black or African American students being the largest racial group at 46.86%, followed by white students at 42.14%.

Students in the state showed a significant improvement in the 2022-23 academic year, demonstrating sustained progress in their post-pandemic recovery. Overall, 87% of schools and 91% of districts achieved a grade of C or better, compared to 81% of schools and 87% of districts in the prior year.

Results from the 2022-23 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) showed students reaching an all-time high in all core subjects. Students better performed on the Math and English portion of the test, achieving grades around 5% better than in the previous year.

School name	Total enrollment in 2022-23	Total enrollment in 2023-24	% change
Perry Central High School	278	272	-2.2%
Perry Central Middle School	216	203	-6%
Richton Elementary School	298	299	0.3%
Richton High School	299	284	-5%
Runnelstown Elementary School	217	200	-7.8%
South Perry Elementary School	222	217	-2.3%