Enrollment
219
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Drew, MS
A W James Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for A W James Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280018701410
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
A W James Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 219
- students enrolled
A W James Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Sunflower Cty Cons School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280018701410 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-8% 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
What stands out at A W James Elementary School
A W James Elementary School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Drew, Mississippi, enrolling 219 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 219 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 175 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #55.
Its student body is predominantly African American (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 219 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 73 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 219 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Sunflower Cty Cons School District also operates Gentry High School (465 students) and Lockard Elementary School (393 students) alongside A W James Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How A W James Elementary School compares
A W James Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.2:1 | ▼ 8% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 219 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
219
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 33% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,004
per pupil, district-wide
- above Mississippi avg of $11,990
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
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.
Student-body diversity index 10.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.6, A W James Elementary School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sunflower Cty Cons School District, which includes A W James Elementary School.
$13,004
Per student
+8%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How A W James Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gentry High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lockard Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert L Merritt Junior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ruleville Central Elem School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to A W James Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 271
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Mississippi, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~219 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on A W James Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare A W James Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Sunflower Cty Cons School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
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 public 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 12.2:1, which is 8% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, 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 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is A W James Elementary School a good school?
A W James Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Sunflower Cty Cons School District?
Besides A W James Elementary School, Sunflower Cty Cons School District also operates Gentry High School (465 students), Lockard Elementary School (393 students), and Robert L Merritt Junior High School (341 students). See the Sunflower Cty Cons School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.