Enrollment
472
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 280020001535
Houston Lower Elementary — Houston, MS
Federal NCES profile for Houston Lower Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 52
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Houston Lower Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (45/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of Mississippi schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 45/100
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 80.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 472
- students enrolled
School address
District: Chickasaw Co School Dist · Mississippi
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
-14% 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
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Houston Lower Elementary reports 472 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% below the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 0% below the Mississippi average and 55% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Chickasaw Co School Dist spends $10,492 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.9% from local sources (property taxes), 57.7% from the state, and 23.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Houston Lower Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Mississippi state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.4% | ▼ 0% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 472 | top 59% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
12 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 82% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
472 larger than 58% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
11.5:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 18% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$10,492
per pupil, district-wide
— below Mississippi avg of $13,402
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Overview
Enrollment 472 Top 59% in Mississippi — larger than 41% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 11.5:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.4% -0% vs state
NCES ID 280020001535
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.
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.1%
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chickasaw Co School Dist, which includes Houston Lower Elementary.
$10,492
Per student
-22%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-46%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 529
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 457
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Houston Lower Elementary
How many students attend Houston Lower Elementary?
Houston Lower Elementary has 472 students enrolled. It is a other school in Houston, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houston Lower Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Houston Lower Elementary is 11.5:1, which is 14% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 28% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Houston, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houston Lower Elementary?
Houston Lower Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.