Elementary school (grades K-5) · Southaven, MS

Hope Sullivan Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Hope Sullivan Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280132000197
0/100100/10031/100
👥 S:T ratio
52
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Hope Sullivan Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.

#2 of 3
elementary schools in Southaven · Resource Index
31
Resource Index · Lower
12:1
students per teacher
74.3%
free-lunch eligible

Hope Sullivan Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Hope Sullivan Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Southaven, MS.

Enrollment

563

Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

47.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12:1

vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg

-10% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

74.3%

vs 80.5% Mississippi avg

-8% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Hope Sullivan Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Hope Sullivan Elementary School

Hope Sullivan Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Southaven, Mississippi, enrolling 563 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 74.3% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 563 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.

Among 158 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #123, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by African American (57%) and White (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 61/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 563 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.7% 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.

Among Southaven's elementary schools, it stands alongside Southaven Intermediate School (1,046 students): Hope Sullivan Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 14.5:1).

Desoto Co School Dist also operates Desoto Central High School (2,004 students) and Southaven High School (1,876 students) alongside Hope Sullivan Elementary 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 Hope Sullivan Elementary School compares

Hope Sullivan Elementary 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 12:1 ▼ 10% 13.3:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 74.3% ▼ 8% 80.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 563 top 29% - -

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.
563
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
74.3%
free-lunch eligible - 8% 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
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
48.7%
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 563 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 56.5%
White 18.7%
Hispanic or Latino 16.5%
Two or More 7.5%
Asian 0.9%

Largest group: African American at 56.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 61.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 61.3, Hope Sullivan Elementary School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desoto Co School Dist, which includes Hope Sullivan Elementary School.

$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 Hope Sullivan Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Desoto Central High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Southaven High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hernando High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Southaven Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Desoto Central Middle School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Hope Sullivan Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Desoto Co School Dist · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Southaven

2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Hope Sullivan Elementary School's federal record.

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 Hope Sullivan Elementary School

How many students attend Hope Sullivan Elementary School?

Hope Sullivan Elementary School has 563 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Southaven, MS.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Hope Sullivan Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Hope Sullivan Elementary School 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 Hope Sullivan Elementary School?

74.3% of students at Hope Sullivan Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hope Sullivan Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Hope Sullivan Elementary School is African American at 56.5% of enrollment, in Southaven, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Hope Sullivan Elementary School?

Hope Sullivan Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Hope Sullivan Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Southaven?

By Resource Investment Index, Hope Sullivan Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Southaven, 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 Southaven on the city page.

Is Hope Sullivan Elementary School a good school?

Hope Sullivan Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also more 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 Desoto Co School Dist?

Besides Hope Sullivan Elementary School, 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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.