| | Meridian, MS | Joplin, MO | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $10,736 | $10,205 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $10,388 | $8,766 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $5,725 | $5,094 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 13.69 | 14.04 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 533 | 475 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 398 | 331 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 4.7% | 2.5% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 13.6% | 7.8% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 81.7% | 89.6% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 21.3% | 24.9% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 11.8% | 7.5% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 21.3% | 25.2% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 6.5% | 5.0% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 1.5% | 1.8% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.5% |