Enrollment
287
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mccomb, MS
Higgins Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Higgins Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280288000554
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Higgins Middle School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Mccomb · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Higgins Middle School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Higgins Middle School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Mccomb, MS.
School address
District: Mccomb School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280288000554 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Higgins Middle School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Higgins Middle School
Higgins Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Mccomb, Mississippi, enrolling 287 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 287 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 265 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #166.
Its student body is predominantly African American (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 287 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 107 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 287 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Mccomb School District also operates Mccomb High School (632 students) and Otken Elementary School (458 students) alongside Higgins Middle 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 Higgins Middle School compares
Higgins Middle 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 287 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
287
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% above the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 38% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
57.8%
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
$13,191
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 287 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 90 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 37.3 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 87.8%
White 4.5%
Two or More 3.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 87.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.4, Higgins Middle School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mccomb School District, which includes Higgins Middle School.
$13,191
Per student
+10%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 40.8%
Federal 29.9%
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 Higgins Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mccomb High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Otken Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Denman Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kennedy Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Summit Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Higgins Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 458
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 200
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~287 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Higgins Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Higgins Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Mccomb School District'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 Higgins Middle School
How many students attend Higgins Middle School?
Higgins Middle School has 287 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mccomb, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Higgins Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Higgins Middle School is 12.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 20% 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 Higgins Middle School?
100.0% of students at Higgins Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Higgins Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Higgins Middle School is African American at 87.8% of enrollment, in Mccomb, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Higgins Middle School?
Higgins Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Higgins Middle School rank among public schools in Mccomb?
By Resource Investment Index, Higgins Middle School ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Mccomb, 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 Mccomb on the city page.
Is Higgins Middle School a good school?
Higgins Middle School earns 41/100 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 Mccomb School District?
Besides Higgins Middle School, Mccomb School District also operates Mccomb High School (632 students), Otken Elementary School (458 students), and Denman Junior High School (312 students). See the Mccomb School District 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.