Enrollment
598
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 280177000283
Bel Aire Elementary School — Gulfport, MS
Federal NCES profile for Bel Aire Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 20
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: Harrison Co School Dist · 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)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.3%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bel Aire 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
Bel Aire Elementary School reports 598 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 40.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 91.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% above the Mississippi average and 76% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harrison Co School Dist spends $11,892 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.5% from local sources (property taxes), 45.3% from the state, and 18.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Bel Aire 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.3% | ▲ 13% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 598 | top 73% | — | — |
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
91.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 77% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.9%
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
$11,892
per pupil, district-wide
— below Mississippi avg of $13,402
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 112 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 598 Top 73% in Mississippi — larger than 27% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 40.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 91.3% +13% vs state
NCES ID 280177000283
Student demographics
African American 64.7%
White 18.1%
Hispanic or Latino 16.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 64.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.9%
In-school suspensions 20
Out-of-school suspensions 112
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harrison Co School Dist, which includes Bel Aire Elementary School.
$11,892
Per student
-11%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.5%
State 45.3%
Federal 18.2%
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
- 1,483
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,478
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,216
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Gulfport
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Bel Aire Elementary School
How many students attend Bel Aire Elementary School?
Bel Aire Elementary School has 598 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Gulfport, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bel Aire Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bel Aire Elementary School is 14.9:1, which is 11% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bel Aire Elementary School?
91.3% of students at Bel Aire Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bel Aire Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bel Aire Elementary School is African American at 64.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gulfport, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bel Aire Elementary School?
Bel Aire Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.