Enrollment
1,483
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Gulfport, MS
Harrison Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Harrison Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280177000288
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harrison Central High School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi.
- #10 of 10
- public schools in Gulfport · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 76.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Harrison Central High School has class sizes larger than 94% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harrison Central High School ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Gulfport, MS.
School address
District: Harrison Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280177000288 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
87.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.3%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harrison Central High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harrison Central High School
Harrison Central High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Gulfport, Mississippi, enrolling 1,483 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17:1 is larger than about 94% of Mississippi schools and 28% above the 13.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 76.3% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Mississippi, bigger than 99% of state schools at 1,483 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 36 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #32, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and White (36%) (diversity index 60/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 371 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 704 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,483 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 20 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Gulfport's high schools, it stands alongside Gulfport High School (1,702 students): Harrison Central High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17:1 vs 17.2:1).
Harrison Co School Dist also operates Diberville Senior High Sch (1,478 students) and West Harrison High School (1,216 students) alongside Harrison Central High 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 Harrison Central High School compares
Harrison Central High 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 28% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.3% | ▼ 5% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,483 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,483
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
17:1
students per teacher
- 28% above state mean
Top 94% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.4%
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
$10,042
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 371 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
349
in-school suspensions + 355 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 23.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 47.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 20 expulsions.
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 50.9%
White 36.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Two or More 2.4%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 50.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.1, Harrison Central High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harrison Co School Dist, which includes Harrison Central High School.
$10,042
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.5%
State 45.3%
Federal 18.2%
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 Harrison Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diberville Senior High Sch | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Harrison High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Creekbend Elementary and Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Gulfport Elementary and Middl | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Woolmarket Elementary and Mid | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harrison Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,478
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,216
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 851
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar high schools in Gulfport
2 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 (~1,483 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harrison Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Harrison Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Harrison 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 Harrison Central High School
How many students attend Harrison Central High School?
Harrison Central High School has 1,483 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gulfport, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harrison Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harrison Central High School is 17:1, which is 28% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Harrison Central High School?
76.3% of students at Harrison Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harrison Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Harrison Central High School is African American at 50.9% of enrollment, in Gulfport, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harrison Central High School?
Harrison Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Harrison Central High School rank among public schools in Gulfport?
By Resource Investment Index, Harrison Central High School ranks #10 of 10 public schools in Gulfport, 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 Gulfport on the city page.
Is Harrison Central High School a good school?
Harrison Central High School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the largest 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 Harrison Co School Dist?
Besides Harrison Central High School, Harrison Co School Dist also operates Diberville Senior High Sch (1,478 students), West Harrison High School (1,216 students), and Creekbend Elementary and Middle (996 students). See the Harrison 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.