Enrollment
2,004
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 280132001569
Desoto Central High School — Southaven, MS
Federal NCES profile for Desoto Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 24
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
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: Desoto 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)
105.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.3%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desoto Central High 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
Desoto Central High School reports 2,004 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 105.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 42% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% below the Mississippi average and 40% below the national baseline. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 501 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Desoto Co School Dist spends $9,536 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.8% from local sources (property taxes), 51.9% from the state, and 14.3% 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 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 Desoto Central High 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 42% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.3% | ▼ 61% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,004 | top 100% | — | — |
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
31.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% below the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19:1
students per teacher
— 42% above state mean
Top 99% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$9,536
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 501 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
332
in-school suspensions + 97 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,004 Top 100% in Mississippi — larger than 0% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 105.0
Students per teacher 19:1 +42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.3% -61% vs state
NCES ID 280132001569
Student demographics
African American 48.6%
White 34.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 48.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 501:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 332
Out-of-school suspensions 97
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desoto Co School Dist, which includes Desoto Central High School.
$9,536
Per student
-29%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-51%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.8%
State 51.9%
Federal 14.3%
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
- 1,876
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,529
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,423
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,330
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
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 Desoto Central High School
How many students attend Desoto Central High School?
Desoto Central High School has 2,004 students enrolled. It is a high school in Southaven, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desoto Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desoto Central High School is 19:1, which is 42% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desoto Central High School?
31.3% of students at Desoto Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desoto Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Desoto Central High School is African American at 48.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Southaven, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desoto Central High School?
Desoto Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.