Enrollment
707
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Hernando, MS
Hernando Elem
Federal NCES profile for Hernando Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280132000186
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hernando Elem earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Hernando · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12:1
- students per teacher
- 33.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Hernando Elem has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hernando Elem ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Hernando, MS.
School address
District: Desoto Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280132000186 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.8%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hernando Elem compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hernando Elem
Hernando Elem is a mid-sized elementary school in Hernando, Mississippi, enrolling 707 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 33.8% free-meal eligibility runs 58% below the Mississippi average.
Enrollment of 707 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 55 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #51, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and African American (11%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 707 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Desoto Co School Dist spends $8,778 per pupil, 27% below the Mississippi average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Desoto Co School Dist also operates Desoto Central High School (2,004 students) and Southaven High School (1,876 students) alongside Hernando Elem.
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 Hernando Elem compares
Hernando Elem on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.8% | ▼ 58% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 707 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
707
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% below the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 31% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.3%
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
$8,778
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 707 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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
White 74.5%
African American 10.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 74.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.3, Hernando Elem is about as mixed as the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desoto Co School Dist, which includes Hernando Elem.
$8,778
Per student
-27%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-47%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Hernando Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desoto Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southaven High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hernando High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southaven Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Desoto Central Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hernando Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,004
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,876
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,529
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,423
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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 (~707 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hernando Elem's federal record.
- Compare Hernando Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Desoto 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 Hernando Elem
How many students attend Hernando Elem?
Hernando Elem has 707 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Hernando, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hernando Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Hernando Elem is 12:1, which is 10% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 24% 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 Hernando Elem?
33.8% of students at Hernando Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hernando Elem?
The largest demographic group at Hernando Elem is White at 74.5% of enrollment, in Hernando, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hernando Elem?
Hernando Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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 Hernando Elem rank among elementary schools in Hernando?
By Resource Investment Index, Hernando Elem ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Hernando, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Hernando on the city page.
Is Hernando Elem a good school?
Hernando Elem earns 26/100 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 Desoto Co School Dist?
Besides Hernando Elem, Desoto Co School Dist also operates Desoto Central High School (2,004 students), Southaven High School (1,876 students), and Hernando High School (1,529 students). See the Desoto 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.