Enrollment
242
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 280219001052
Barack H Obama Elementary School — Jackson, MS
Federal NCES profile for Barack H Obama Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 95
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: Jackson Public 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Barack H Obama 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
Barack H Obama Elementary School reports 242 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% 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 242 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 2.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jackson Public School District spends $14,275 per pupil district-wide, above the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.7% from local sources (property taxes), 39.7% from the state, and 24.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), 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 Barack H Obama 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 5% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 242 | top 16% | — | — |
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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 64% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
2.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,275
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 242 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 242 Top 16% in Mississippi — larger than 84% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +24% vs state
NCES ID 280219001052
Student demographics
African American 97.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
Asian 0.8%
White 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 97.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 242:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 2.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson Public School District, which includes Barack H Obama Elementary School.
$14,275
Per student
+7%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 39.7%
Federal 24.5%
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
- 1,259
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,139
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 994
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 975
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 895
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Jackson
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Joel E. Smilow Prep
Standard public school
521 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Reimagine Prep
Standard public school
457 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Oak Forest Elementary School
Standard public school
436 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Spann Elementary School
Standard public school
433 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Boyd Elementary School
Standard public school
424 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Midtown Public Charter School
Standard public school
420 students 11.4:1 students per teacher
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 Barack H Obama Elementary School
How many students attend Barack H Obama Elementary School?
Barack H Obama Elementary School has 242 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in JACKSON, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Barack H Obama Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Barack H Obama Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 5% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Barack H Obama Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Barack H Obama Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Barack H Obama Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Barack H Obama Elementary School is African American at 97.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in JACKSON, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barack H Obama Elementary School?
Barack H Obama Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) 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.