Enrollment
418
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buckatunna, MS
Buckatunna Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Buckatunna Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280453000898
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buckatunna Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Mississippi schools.
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.4:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 418
- students enrolled
Buckatunna Elementary School has class sizes larger than 70% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Wayne Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280453000898 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
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 Buckatunna Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buckatunna Elementary School
Buckatunna Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Buckatunna, Mississippi, enrolling 418 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.4:1 puts it in the larger 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.
With 418 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 281 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #6, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (57%) and White (39%) (diversity index 53/100).
11.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 36.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Wayne Co School Dist also operates Wayne County High School (775 students) and Waynesboro Riverview Ele School (491 students) alongside Buckatunna 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 Buckatunna Elementary School compares
Buckatunna 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 | 14.4:1 | ▲ 8% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 418 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
418
Bigger than 50% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 70% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,621
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 56.7%
White 38.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: African American at 56.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.9, Buckatunna Elementary School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wayne Co School Dist, which includes Buckatunna Elementary School.
$11,621
Per student
-3%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.8%
State 39.2%
Federal 36.1%
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 Buckatunna Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waynesboro Riverview Ele School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wayne Central Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clara Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Beat Four Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buckatunna Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 775
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 459
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar elementary 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 (~418 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buckatunna Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Buckatunna Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Wayne Co School Dist'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 Buckatunna Elementary School
How many students attend Buckatunna Elementary School?
Buckatunna Elementary School has 418 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Buckatunna, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buckatunna Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Buckatunna Elementary School is 14.4:1, which is 8% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buckatunna Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Buckatunna Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buckatunna Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Buckatunna Elementary School is African American at 56.7% of enrollment, in Buckatunna, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buckatunna Elementary School?
Buckatunna Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Buckatunna Elementary School a good school?
Buckatunna Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of 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 Wayne Co School Dist?
Besides Buckatunna Elementary School, Wayne Co School Dist also operates Wayne County High School (775 students), Waynesboro Riverview Ele School (491 students), and Wayne Central Elementary School (459 students). See the Wayne Co School Dist 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.