States like Connecticut with just 29 percent low income enrollment spend up to $11,600 on each student, according to the report. But Mississippi, where low-income enrollment is 75 percent, spends just $5,600 per student, the report states.

Southern states tax for education at the same rates other regions of the country do, but the South’s higher poverty rates translate into less taxable income and less revenue to invest in education, Suitts said.

The Southern trend of enrolling more poor students than the rest of the nation is not new. But in recent years, the flood of Hispanic immigrants moving into the South coupled with high birth rates among poor minorities have sent low-income enrollment numbers through the roof, Suitts said.

In 2006, 54 percent of students enrolled in public schools in the South were low income, up from 37 percent just 16 years ago. The percentage broke 50 percent in 2004. The last time the majority of students were poor in Southern schools was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Suitts said.

Nationally, 46 percent of students are low income. The Northeast and Midwest enrolled just 36 percent poor children, and the West had 47 percent low-income students, the study shows.

The South also had the highest overall public school enrollment with 18 million students, compared to 11 million in the West and Midwest and 8.5 million in the Northeast.

Louisiana had the highest rate of poor students with 84 percent. Mississippi wasn’t far behind with 75 percent.

New Hampshire had the lowest rate in the country with just 20 percent. North Dakota was second with just 26 percent.

On the Net:

Southern Education Foundation study: http://www.sefatl.org/showTeaser.asp?did542