Enrollment
1,388
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 280132000979
Desoto Central Middle School — Southaven, MS
Federal NCES profile for Desoto Central Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 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)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.5%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desoto Central Middle 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 Middle School reports 1,388 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 77.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% 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 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% below the Mississippi average and 28% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 463 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 25/100 (F), 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 Middle 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 43% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.5% | ▼ 53% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,388 | top 98% | — | — |
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
37.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% 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
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 43% 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.
Engagement
49.6%
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
$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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 463 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
275
in-school suspensions + 152 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,388 Top 98% in Mississippi — larger than 2% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 77.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.5% -53% vs state
NCES ID 280132000979
Student demographics
African American 47.9%
White 31.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 47.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 463:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.6%
In-school suspensions 275
Out-of-school suspensions 152
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desoto Co School Dist, which includes Desoto Central Middle 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
- 2,004
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- 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
- 1,330
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
Similar middle schools in Southaven
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Desoto Central Middle School
How many students attend Desoto Central Middle School?
Desoto Central Middle School has 1,388 students enrolled. It is a middle school in SOUTHAVEN, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desoto Central Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desoto Central Middle School is 19.1:1, which is 43% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desoto Central Middle School?
37.5% of students at Desoto Central Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desoto Central Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Desoto Central Middle School is African American at 47.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in SOUTHAVEN, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desoto Central Middle School?
Desoto Central Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.