Enrollment
622
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Long Beach, MS
Harper Mc Caughan Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Harper Mc Caughan Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280267000517
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harper Mc Caughan Elem School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Long Beach · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 61.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Harper Mc Caughan Elem School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harper Mc Caughan Elem School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Long Beach, MS.
School address
District: Long Beach School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280267000517 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harper Mc Caughan Elem School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harper Mc Caughan Elem School
Harper Mc Caughan Elem School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Long Beach, Mississippi, enrolling 622 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 61.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 622 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 177 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #61.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 311 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Long Beach's elementary schools, it stands alongside Long Beach Middle School (475 students): Harper Mc Caughan Elem School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.8:1 vs 16.4:1).
Long Beach School Dist also operates Long Beach Senior High School (895 students) and Long Beach Middle School (475 students) alongside Harper Mc Caughan Elem 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 Harper Mc Caughan Elem School compares
Harper Mc Caughan Elem 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 | 13.8:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.4% | ▼ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 622 | top 24% | - | - |
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.
622
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
32.6%
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
$10,123
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 311 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 35 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.5 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
White 65.9%
African American 13.7%
Two or More 13.3%
Asian 4.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 65.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.7, Harper Mc Caughan Elem School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Long Beach School Dist, which includes Harper Mc Caughan Elem School.
$10,123
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.2%
State 48.7%
Federal 26.1%
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 Harper Mc Caughan Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Long Beach Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas L Reeves Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wj Quarles Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harper Mc Caughan Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 895
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 429
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools in Long Beach
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~622 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harper Mc Caughan Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Harper Mc Caughan Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Long Beach 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 Harper Mc Caughan Elem School
How many students attend Harper Mc Caughan Elem School?
Harper Mc Caughan Elem School has 622 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Long Beach, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harper Mc Caughan Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harper Mc Caughan Elem School 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 Harper Mc Caughan Elem School?
61.4% of students at Harper Mc Caughan Elem School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harper Mc Caughan Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Harper Mc Caughan Elem School is White at 65.9% of enrollment, in Long Beach, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harper Mc Caughan Elem School?
Harper Mc Caughan Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Harper Mc Caughan Elem School rank among public schools in Long Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Harper Mc Caughan Elem School ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Long Beach, 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 Long Beach on the city page.
Is Harper Mc Caughan Elem School a good school?
Harper Mc Caughan Elem School earns 43/100 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 Long Beach School Dist?
Besides Harper Mc Caughan Elem School, Long Beach School Dist also operates Long Beach Senior High School (895 students), Long Beach Middle School (475 students), and Thomas L Reeves Elementary School (453 students). See the Long Beach 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.