Enrollment
473
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Clarksdale, MS
Clarksdale High School
Federal NCES profile for Clarksdale High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280105000118
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Clarksdale High School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Mississippi schools.
- #7 of 10
- public schools in Clarksdale · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.8:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Clarksdale High School has class sizes larger than 77% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Clarksdale High School ranks #7 of 10 public schools in Clarksdale, MS.
School address
District: Clarksdale Municipal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280105000118 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clarksdale High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Clarksdale High School
Clarksdale High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Clarksdale, Mississippi, enrolling 473 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 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 473 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 256 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #201, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (66%) and Two or More (32%) (diversity index 47/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 237 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 42.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Clarksdale Municipal School Dist also operates Geo H Oliver Visual/Perf. Arts (299 students) and W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy (269 students) alongside Clarksdale High 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 Clarksdale High School compares
Clarksdale High 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 473 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
473
Bigger than 58% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 77% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
60.5%
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
$12,180
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 237 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.5 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 65.5%
Two or More 31.7%
White 1.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Largest group: African American at 65.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.0, Clarksdale High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clarksdale Municipal School Dist, which includes Clarksdale High School.
$12,180
Per student
+2%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 39.5%
Federal 42.7%
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 Clarksdale High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geo H Oliver Visual/Perf. Arts | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kirkpatrick Health /Wellness | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Booker T Washington Intern. Studies | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heidelberg School Math & Science | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Clarksdale High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 299
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 266
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 247
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 198
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar high 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 (~473 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Clarksdale High School's federal record.
- Compare Clarksdale High School against another school. Compare schools
- Clarksdale Municipal 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 Clarksdale High School
How many students attend Clarksdale High School?
Clarksdale High School has 473 students enrolled. It is a high school in Clarksdale, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clarksdale High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Clarksdale High School is 14.8:1, which is 11% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Clarksdale High School?
100.0% of students at Clarksdale High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clarksdale High School?
The largest demographic group at Clarksdale High School is African American at 65.5% of enrollment, in Clarksdale, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clarksdale High School?
Clarksdale High School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Clarksdale High School rank among public schools in Clarksdale?
By Resource Investment Index, Clarksdale High School ranks #7 of 10 public schools in Clarksdale, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Clarksdale on the city page.
Is Clarksdale High School a good school?
Clarksdale High School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% 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 Clarksdale Municipal School Dist?
Besides Clarksdale High School, Clarksdale Municipal School Dist also operates Geo H Oliver Visual/Perf. Arts (299 students), W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy (269 students), and Kirkpatrick Health /Wellness (266 students). See the Clarksdale Municipal 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.