Enrollment
770
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 280132001287
Hernando Hills Elementary — Hernando, MS
Federal NCES profile for Hernando Hills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 43
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Desoto Co School Dist · Mississippi
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hernando Hills Elementary compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Hernando Hills Elementary reports 770 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% below the Mississippi average and 46% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 770 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Desoto Co School Dist spends $9,536 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.8% from local sources (property taxes), 51.9% from the state, and 14.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Hernando Hills Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Mississippi state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.0% | ▼ 65% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 770 | top 85% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
28.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% below the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 78% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
22.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$9,536
per pupil, district-wide
— below Mississippi avg of $13,402
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 770 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 770 Top 85% in Mississippi — larger than 15% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.0% -65% vs state
NCES ID 280132001287
Student demographics
White 73.9%
African American 12.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Two or More 4.7%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 73.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 770:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.9%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desoto Co School Dist, which includes Hernando Hills Elementary.
$9,536
Per student
-29%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-51%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,004
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,876
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,529
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,423
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,388
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Hernando
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Hernando Hills Elementary
How many students attend Hernando Hills Elementary?
Hernando Hills Elementary has 770 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in HERNANDO, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hernando Hills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Hernando Hills Elementary is 15:1, which is 12% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Hernando Hills Elementary?
28.0% of students at Hernando Hills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hernando Hills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Hernando Hills Elementary is White at 73.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in HERNANDO, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hernando Hills Elementary?
Hernando Hills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.