Enrollment
717
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Jackson, MS
Gary Road Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Gary Road Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280186001036
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gary Road Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Jackson · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 74.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Gary Road Elementary has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gary Road Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Jackson, MS.
School address
District: Hinds Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280186001036 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.6%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gary Road Elementary compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gary Road Elementary
Gary Road Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Jackson, Mississippi, enrolling 717 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 74.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 717 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 126 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #19.
Its student body is predominantly African American (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 359 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 16.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Jackson's public schools, it stands alongside Bates Elementary School (482 students): Gary Road Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.8:1 vs 16.6:1).
Hinds Co School Dist also operates Terry High School (1,127 students) and Byram Middle School (785 students) alongside Gary Road Elementary.
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 Gary Road Elementary compares
Gary Road Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.8:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.6% | ▼ 7% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 717 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
717
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 61% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.8%
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
$10,063
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 359 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 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 90.7%
White 5.3%
Two or More 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 90.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.4, Gary Road Elementary is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hinds Co School Dist, which includes Gary Road Elementary.
$10,063
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.0%
State 40.0%
Federal 16.0%
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 Gary Road Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Byram Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gary Road Intermediate School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Raymond High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Raymond Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gary Road Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,127
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 785
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 680
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools in Jackson
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~717 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gary Road Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Gary Road Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hinds Co 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 Gary Road Elementary
How many students attend Gary Road Elementary?
Gary Road Elementary has 717 students enrolled. It is a public school in Jackson, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gary Road Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gary Road Elementary is 13.8:1, which is 4% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gary Road Elementary?
74.6% of students at Gary Road Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gary Road Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Gary Road Elementary is African American at 90.7% of enrollment, in Jackson, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gary Road Elementary?
Gary Road Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Gary Road Elementary rank among schools in Jackson?
By Resource Investment Index, Gary Road Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Jackson, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Jackson on the city page.
Is Gary Road Elementary a good school?
Gary Road Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. 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 Hinds Co School Dist?
Besides Gary Road Elementary, Hinds Co School Dist also operates Terry High School (1,127 students), Byram Middle School (785 students), and Gary Road Intermediate School (680 students). See the Hinds Co 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.