Enrollment
219
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 280018701410
A W James Elementary School — Drew, MS
Federal NCES profile for A W James Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 22
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Sunflower Cty Cons School District · Mississippi
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How A W James Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
A W James Elementary School reports 219 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the Mississippi average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 219 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sunflower Cty Cons School District spends $14,264 per pupil district-wide, above the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.2% from local sources (property taxes), 40.8% from the state, and 29.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How A W James Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Mississippi state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 219 | top 11% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% above the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 21% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,264
per pupil, district-wide
— above Mississippi avg of $13,402
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 219 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 35 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 33.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 219 Top 11% in Mississippi — larger than 89% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 11.7:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +24% vs state
NCES ID 280018701410
Student demographics
African American 94.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Two or More 1.8%
White 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 94.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 219:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.1%
In-school suspensions 38
Out-of-school suspensions 35
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sunflower Cty Cons School District, which includes A W James Elementary School.
$14,264
Per student
+6%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 40.8%
Federal 29.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 271
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about A W James Elementary School
How many students attend A W James Elementary School?
A W James Elementary School has 219 students enrolled. It is a other school in DREW, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at A W James Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at A W James Elementary School is 11.7:1, which is 13% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at A W James Elementary School?
100.0% of students at A W James Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of A W James Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at A W James Elementary School is African American at 94.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in DREW, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for A W James Elementary School?
A W James Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.