Mississippi K-12 Email Security Intelligence:
DNS Authentication Profiling of 161 School District LEAs

Lokentra Research Team
Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series
April 22, 2026
research@monitorworkspace.com • monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Abstract

We present DNS email security profiling for 161 K-12 LEAs in Mississippi, of which 145 have active domains (90.1% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). Mississippi K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 48.0/100, with 31.0% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 35.9% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 42.1% have any DMARC record, and just 26.2% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 57.9% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 145 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.

Keywords: Mississippi, K-12 email security, DMARC, SPF, school district cybersecurity, DNS authentication, Google Workspace, education technology

1. Dataset Overview

Table 1. Mississippi K-12 Dataset Summary
MetricValue
Total K-12 LEAs in state161
Regular school districts146
Charter LEAs8
Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.)7
LEAs with active internet domain145 (90.1%)
Domains DNS-profiled145
Data freshness (NCES CCD)2024-2025 school year
DNS scan dateApril 22, 2026

2. The Human Impact: Populations at Risk

To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. Mississippi K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 1,017 schools.

Table 2. Estimated Population Exposure from K-12 Email Security Gaps — Mississippi
PopulationTotal in DatasetAt Risk (No DMARC, 57.9%)Critically Exposed (Grade F, 35.9%)
Students387,477224,349139,104
Parents and guardians774,954448,698278,208
Staff and educators51,86730,03018,620
Total people1,214,298703,078435,932

Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.

3. Authentication Findings

3.1 Protocol Adoption

Table 3. Email Authentication Protocol Adoption — Mississippi K-12
ProtocolMississippiNational K-12 (ESI)vs. National
SPF (any configuration)77.9%79.7%-1.8pp
DKIM (key published)54.5%59.6%-5.1pp
DMARC (any policy)42.1%55.5%-13.4pp
DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject)26.2%~21.0%+5.2pp
DMARC at reject (full enforcement)13.8%~12.2%+1.6pp
No MX records (not receiving email)7.6%~10.0%-2.4pp

3.2 ESI Grade Distribution

Table 4. ESI Score Grade Distribution — Mississippi K-12
GradeScoreDistrictsShareInterpretation
A90–1002517.2%Full enforcement
B70–892013.8%Strong posture
C50–693423.4%Partial protection
D30–49149.7%Weak configuration
F0–295235.9%Minimal/no authentication
Average score48.0 / 100

3.3 Email Provider Distribution

Table 5. Email Provider Distribution — Mississippi K-12 (top providers)
ProviderDistrictsShare
Google Workspace10471.7%
Microsoft 3651510.3%
Mimecast21.4%
GoDaddy21.4%
Barracuda10.7%
Fortinet10.7%

4. District-Level Data

4.1 Top Performing Districts (Best ESI Scores)

Table 6. Top 15 Mississippi K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
STARKVILLE- OKTIBBEHA CONS DIST starkvillesd.com Oktibbeha County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
COPIAH CO SCHOOL DIST copiah.ms Copiah County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
GEORGE CO SCHOOL DIST gcsd.us George County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
LAFAYETTE CO SCHOOL DIST gocommodores.org Lafayette County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
POPLARVILLE SEPARATE SCHOOL DIST poplarvilleschools.org Pearl River County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
TUPELO PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST tupeloschools.com Lee County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
SUNFLOWER CTY CONS SCHOOL DISTRICT sunflower.k12.ms.us Sunflower County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
ATTALA CO SCHOOL DIST attala.k12.ms.us Attala County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
BAY ST LOUIS WAVELAND SCHOOL DIST bwsd.org Hancock County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
CLAIBORNE CO SCHOOL DIST claiborne.k12.ms.us Claiborne County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
FORREST COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT fcsd.us Forrest County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
FORREST COUNTY AG HIGH SCHOOL forrestcountyahs.com Forrest County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
GULFPORT SCHOOL DIST gulfportschools.org Harrison County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
HATTIESBURG PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST hattiesburgpsd.com Forrest County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
LAMAR COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT lamarcountyschools.org Lamar County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A

4.2 Districts Most in Need of Improvement (Lowest ESI Scores)

Table 7. Bottom 15 Mississippi K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
NORTH BOLIVAR CONS SCHOOL DIST nbcsd.k12.ms.us Bolivar County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
MIDTOWN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL midtownpublic.org Hinds County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Ambition Preparatory Charter School ambitionprep.org Hinds County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
COAHOMA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT coahoma.k12.ms.us Coahoma County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
CLARKSDALE MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DIST cmsdschools.org Coahoma County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
CARROLL COUNTY SCHOOL DIST ccsd.ms Carroll County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
EAST TALLAHATCHIE CONSOL SCH DIST etsd.k12.ms.us Tallahatchie County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
FRANKLIN CO SCHOOL DIST franklincountyschoolsms.com Franklin County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
GREENE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT gcsd.ms Greene County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
HAZLEHURST CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT hazlehurst.k12.ms.us Copiah County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
ITAWAMBA COUNTY SCHOOL DIST itawambacsd.com Itawamba County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
JEFFERSON CO SCHOOL DIST jcpsd.net Jefferson County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
KEMPER CO SCHOOL DIST kempercountyschools.org Kemper County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
LINCOLN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT lcsd.k12.ms.us Lincoln County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
LELAND SCHOOL DIST lelandschooldistrict.schoolinsites.com Washington County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F

4.3 County-Level Summary (Top 10 Counties by District Count)

Table 8. Mississippi County Distribution
CountyDistrictsWebsite Coverage
Hinds County11100.0%
Neshoba County728.6%
Harrison County683.3%
Lee County4100.0%
Forrest County4100.0%
Washington County4100.0%
Jackson County4100.0%
Newton County475.0%
Lincoln County3100.0%
Bolivar County3100.0%

5. Policy Implications

These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in Mississippi's K-12 email security posture. The 57.9% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:

6. Data Availability

The full Mississippi K-12 dataset — 161 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.

Table 9. Licensing Tiers
TierScopeSuggested Use
State Pack: MississippiAll 161 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichmentRegional studies, state policy, outreach
K-12 NationalAll 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAsNational K-12 cybersecurity research
Full Registry801,359+ entities across all sectorsComprehensive multi-sector research
API + UpdatesQuarterly re-scan, REST APILongitudinal studies, live dashboards

Contact: research@monitorworkspace.com — Free demo at monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). Mississippi K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 161 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/ms-k12-paper.html

Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.

National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.