The median salary for Mississippi school district superintendents was $120,000 for the 2020-21 academic year, according to data the state Department of Education sent Mississippi Today.

Tupelo Public School District’s Robert Picou was the highest paid superintendent, making $219,000, followed by Jackson Public School District’s Errick Greene with $215,000.

Generally, superintendents of districts with larger student bodies earned larger compensations; DeSoto County School District, JPS, and Rankin County School Districts have the biggest enrollments and are among the top of the salary list.

While most of the 144 superintendents in the dataset worked full-time, several part-time ones still earned large salaries. Coahoma County School District’s Ilean Richards and North Bolivar Consolidated School District’s Maurice Smith, for example, both made six figures despite being listed as part-time.

Of the full-time superintendents, 87% made at least six figures.

For comparison, Mississippi’s average teacher salary was $46,843 in 2019-20. The median superintendent salary is two and a half times that amount.

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Alex Rozier, a native of New York City, is Mississippi Today’s data reporter. He analyzes data and creates visuals that further inform our reporting. He also reports on the environment, transportation and Mississippi culture and is a member of the engagement team. Alex, whose work has appeared in the Boston Globe and Open Secrets, has a bachelor’s in journalism from Boston University.