Enrollment
329
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Columbia, MS
Jefferson Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 280117000151
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jefferson Middle School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Mississippi schools.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Jefferson Middle School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson Middle School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Columbia, MS.
School address
District: Columbia School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280117000151 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson Middle School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jefferson Middle School
Jefferson Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Columbia, Mississippi, enrolling 329 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
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 329 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 300 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #84.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and African American (45%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 329 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 169 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 329 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Columbia School District also operates Columbia High School (484 students) and Columbia Primary School (448 students) alongside Jefferson Middle 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 Jefferson Middle School compares
Jefferson Middle 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 329 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
329
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 29% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.1%
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
$11,995
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 329 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
85
in-school suspensions + 84 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 25.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 51.4 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
White 47.4%
African American 45.0%
Two or More 3.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: White at 47.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.1, Jefferson Middle School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbia School District, which includes Jefferson Middle School.
$11,995
Per student
+0%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.3%
State 41.7%
Federal 28.1%
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 Jefferson Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbia Primary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbia Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jefferson Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 484
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 378
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar middle 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 (~329 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jefferson Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Jefferson Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbia School District'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 Jefferson Middle School
How many students attend Jefferson Middle School?
Jefferson Middle School has 329 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Columbia, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Middle School is 11.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 25% 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 Jefferson Middle School?
100.0% of students at Jefferson Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson Middle School is White at 47.4% of enrollment, in Columbia, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson Middle School?
Jefferson Middle School 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).
How does Jefferson Middle School rank among public schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson Middle School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Columbia, 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 Columbia on the city page.
Is Jefferson Middle School a good school?
Jefferson Middle School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% 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 Columbia School District?
Besides Jefferson Middle School, Columbia School District also operates Columbia High School (484 students), Columbia Primary School (448 students), and Columbia Elementary School (378 students). See the Columbia School District 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.