Summary:
The city of Monticello, Mississippi is home to 4 schools serving students from elementary through high school, all part of the Lawrence County School District. While the schools face significant economic challenges, with extremely high free/reduced lunch rates, one elementary/middle school, Topeka Tilton Attendance Center, stands out as the highest-performing in the district based on its strong test scores and statewide ranking.
Topeka Tilton Attendance Center ranks 164th out of 377 Mississippi elementary schools and earns 3 out of 5 SchoolDigger stars, significantly outperforming the district and state averages, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics. In contrast, the other schools in Monticello, including Lawrence County High School, Monticello Elementary School, and Rod Paige Middle School, have more mixed academic performance, with some grade levels and subjects exceeding district and state benchmarks while others fall behind.
The racial makeup of the schools also varies, with Topeka Tilton Attendance Center having a much higher percentage of white students (83.71%) compared to the other schools, which have a more balanced racial distribution. Additionally, the schools differ in their spending per student, with Lawrence County High School spending the most at $10,421 per student, while the elementary schools spend around $7,600-$7,800 per student. These factors, along with the overall economic challenges facing the district, provide a complex picture of the educational landscape in Monticello, Mississippi.
