Enrollment
472
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Houston, MS
Houston Lower Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Houston Lower Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280020001535
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Houston Lower Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Mississippi schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Houston · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 80.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Houston Lower Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Houston Lower Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Houston, MS.
School address
District: Chickasaw Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280020001535 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Houston Lower Elementary compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Houston Lower Elementary
Houston Lower Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Houston, Mississippi, enrolling 472 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 80.4% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 472 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 125 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #8, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and African American (38%) (diversity index 60/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Chickasaw Co School Dist also operates Houston High School (529 students) and Houlka Attendance Center (457 students) alongside Houston Lower 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 Houston Lower Elementary compares
Houston Lower 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 16% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.4% | ▼ 0% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 472 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
472
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 0% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 19% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,753
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.
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
White 49.4%
African American 38.3%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 49.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.9, Houston Lower Elementary is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chickasaw Co School Dist, which includes Houston Lower Elementary.
$9,753
Per student
-19%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.9%
State 57.7%
Federal 23.4%
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 Houston Lower Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Houlka Attendance Center | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Houston Upper Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Houston Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Houston Lower Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 457
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar other 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 (~472 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Houston Lower Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Houston Lower Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Chickasaw 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 Houston Lower Elementary
How many students attend Houston Lower Elementary?
Houston Lower Elementary has 472 students enrolled. It is a public school in Houston, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houston Lower Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Houston Lower Elementary is 11.2:1, which is 16% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 29% 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 Houston Lower Elementary?
80.4% of students at Houston Lower Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Houston Lower Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Houston Lower Elementary is White at 49.4% of enrollment, in Houston, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houston Lower Elementary?
Houston Lower Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Houston Lower Elementary rank among public schools in Houston?
By Resource Investment Index, Houston Lower Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Houston, 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 Houston on the city page.
Is Houston Lower Elementary a good school?
Houston Lower Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of 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 Chickasaw Co School Dist?
Besides Houston Lower Elementary, Chickasaw Co School Dist also operates Houston High School (529 students), Houlka Attendance Center (457 students), and Houston Upper Elementary (387 students). See the Chickasaw 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.