Enrollment
660
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 280156000227
Central Elementary School — Lucedale, MS
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 32
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: George 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.8%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central 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
Central Elementary School reports 660 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 37% 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 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 67.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Mississippi average and 31% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding George Co School Dist spends $10,283 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.4% from local sources (property taxes), 47.7% from the state, and 29.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Central 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 37% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.8% | ▼ 16% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 660 | top 79% | — | — |
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
67.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% below the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 37% above state mean
Top 98% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.3%
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
$10,283
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
37
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 660 Top 79% in Mississippi — larger than 21% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 67.8% -16% vs state
NCES ID 280156000227
Student demographics
White 73.8%
Two or More 17.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
African American 3.6%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 73.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.3%
In-school suspensions 37
Out-of-school suspensions 38
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for George Co School Dist, which includes Central Elementary School.
$10,283
Per student
-23%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-47%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.4%
State 47.7%
Federal 29.9%
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
- 1,115
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 543
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 402
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 293
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
Similar other schools in Lucedale
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Agricola Elementary School
Standard public school
543 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Rocky Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
402 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Lc Hatcher Elementary School
Standard public school
280 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Benndale Elementary School
Standard public school
138 students 11.3:1 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 Central Elementary School
How many students attend Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has 660 students enrolled. It is a other school in LUCEDALE, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 18.3:1, which is 37% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elementary School?
67.8% of students at Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary School is White at 73.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in LUCEDALE, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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.