Enrollment
44
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pascagoula, MS
Exceptional School
Federal NCES profile for Exceptional School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280348001161
👥 S:T ratio 71
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Exceptional School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 98% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Mississippi.
- #10 of 10
- public schools in Pascagoula · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 7.3:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Exceptional School has class sizes smaller than 98% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Exceptional School ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Pascagoula, MS.
School address
District: Pascagoula-Gautier School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280348001161 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.3:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Exceptional School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Exceptional School
Exceptional School is a high-poverty, small high school in Pascagoula, Mississippi, enrolling 44 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.3:1, Exceptional School is leaner than roughly 98% of Mississippi schools and 45% under the state's 13.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of Mississippi schools, with 44 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Its student body is led by African American (39%) and White (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Pascagoula-Gautier School District spends $14,596 per pupil, 22% above the Mississippi average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Pascagoula's high schools, it stands alongside Pascagoula High School (1,127 students): Exceptional School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (7.3:1 vs 15:1).
Pascagoula-Gautier School District also operates Pascagoula High School (1,127 students) and Gautier High School (900 students) alongside Exceptional 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 Exceptional School compares
Exceptional 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 | 7.3:1 | ▼ 45% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 44 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.3:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
44
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
7.3:1
students per teacher
- 45% below state mean
Top 2% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
52.3%
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
$14,596
per pupil, district-wide
- above Mississippi avg of $11,990
Somewhat 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
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 38.6%
White 34.1%
Hispanic or Latino 15.9%
Two or More 11.4%
Largest group: African American at 38.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.6, Exceptional School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pascagoula-Gautier School District, which includes Exceptional School.
$14,596
Per student
+22%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.1%
State 31.8%
Federal 21.1%
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 Exceptional School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pascagoula High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gautier High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| William M Colmer Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Trent Lott Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gautier Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Exceptional School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,127
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 900
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 524
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar high schools in Pascagoula
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~44 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Exceptional School's federal record.
- Compare Exceptional School against another school. Compare schools
- Pascagoula-Gautier School District'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 Exceptional School
How many students attend Exceptional School?
Exceptional School has 44 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pascagoula, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Exceptional School?
The student-teacher ratio at Exceptional School is 7.3:1, which is 45% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 54% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Exceptional School?
100.0% of students at Exceptional School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Exceptional School?
The largest demographic group at Exceptional School is African American at 38.6% of enrollment, in Pascagoula, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Exceptional School?
Exceptional School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Exceptional School rank among public schools in Pascagoula?
By Resource Investment Index, Exceptional School ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Pascagoula, 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 Pascagoula on the city page.
Is Exceptional School a good school?
Exceptional School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 98% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Mississippi. 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 Pascagoula-Gautier School District?
Besides Exceptional School, Pascagoula-Gautier School District also operates Pascagoula High School (1,127 students), Gautier High School (900 students), and William M Colmer Middle School (532 students). See the Pascagoula-Gautier School District 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.