Enrollment
714
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lexington, MS
Holmes County Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Holmes County Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280019501488
👥 S:T ratio 45
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Holmes County Central High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Lexington · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Holmes County Central High School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Holmes County Central High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Lexington, MS.
School address
District: Holmes County Consolidated Sd · Mississippi
NCES ID 280019501488 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Holmes County Central High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Holmes County Central High School
Holmes County Central High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Lexington, Mississippi, enrolling 714 students.
At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Mississippi median, within a few percentage points of the 13.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
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 714 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 114 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #71.
Its student body is predominantly African American (99% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 238 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 46.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 218 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 714 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Holmes County Consolidated Sd also operates William Dean Jr. Elementary School (426 students) and S V Marshall Middle School (321 students) alongside Holmes County 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 Holmes County Central High School compares
Holmes County 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 | 13.7:1 | ▲ 3% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 714 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
714
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 59% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.8%
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
$13,241
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 238 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 218 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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 98.7%
White 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.3%
Hispanic or Latino 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 98.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 2.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 2.6, Holmes County Central High School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Holmes County Consolidated Sd, which includes Holmes County Central High School.
$13,241
Per student
+10%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.8%
State 36.7%
Federal 46.5%
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 Holmes County Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Dean Jr. Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| S V Marshall Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Durant Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| S V Marshall Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Williams-Sullivan Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Holmes County Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 426
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 321
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 242
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 192
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~714 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Holmes County Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Holmes County Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Holmes County Consolidated Sd'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 Holmes County Central High School
How many students attend Holmes County Central High School?
Holmes County Central High School has 714 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lexington, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Holmes County Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Holmes County Central High School is 13.7:1, which is 3% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Holmes County Central High School?
100.0% of students at Holmes County Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Holmes County Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Holmes County Central High School is African American at 98.7% of enrollment, in Lexington, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Holmes County Central High School?
Holmes County Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 Holmes County Central High School rank among public schools in Lexington?
By Resource Investment Index, Holmes County Central High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Lexington, 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 Lexington on the city page.
Is Holmes County Central High School a good school?
Holmes County Central High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools. 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 Holmes County Consolidated Sd?
Besides Holmes County Central High School, Holmes County Consolidated Sd also operates William Dean Jr. Elementary School (426 students), S V Marshall Middle School (321 students), and Durant Elementary School (242 students). See the Holmes County Consolidated Sd 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.