Enrollment
629
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ridgeland, MS
Highland Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Highland Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280279000937
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Elementary earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 72.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 629
- students enrolled
Highland Elementary has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Madison Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280279000937 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Elementary compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Elementary
Highland Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Ridgeland, Mississippi, enrolling 629 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 72.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 629 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 158 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #29.
Its student body is led by African American (62%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 315 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 283 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 629 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 8 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Madison Co School Dist also operates Germantown High School (1,411 students) and Madison Central High School (1,260 students) alongside Highland Elementary.
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 Highland Elementary compares
Highland Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14:1 | ▲ 5% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.0% | ▼ 11% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 629 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
629
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
14:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 65% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.9%
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
$11,127
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 315 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
180
in-school suspensions + 103 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 28.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 45.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 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 62.0%
Hispanic or Latino 22.7%
White 8.6%
Asian 4.5%
Two or More 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 62.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.4, Highland Elementary is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison Co School Dist, which includes Highland Elementary.
$11,127
Per student
-7%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 40.6%
Federal 10.9%
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 Highland Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madison Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Germantown Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ridgeland High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,411
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,260
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,180
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,008
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 995
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
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 (~629 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Highland Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Madison 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 Highland Elementary
How many students attend Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary has 629 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ridgeland, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary is 14:1, which is 5% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Elementary?
72.0% of students at Highland Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highland Elementary is African American at 62.0% of enrollment, in Ridgeland, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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).
Is Highland Elementary a good school?
Highland Elementary earns 48/100 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 Madison Co School Dist?
Besides Highland Elementary, Madison Co School Dist also operates Germantown High School (1,411 students), Madison Central High School (1,260 students), and Madison Middle School (1,180 students). See the Madison 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.