Enrollment
547
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Jackson, MS
Joel E Smilow Collegiate
Federal NCES profile for Joel E Smilow Collegiate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280019301502Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Joel E Smilow Collegiate earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Mississippi schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Jackson · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.8:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Joel E Smilow Collegiate has class sizes larger than 77% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Joel E Smilow Collegiate ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Jackson, MS.
School address
District: Joel E Smilow Collegiate · Mississippi
NCES ID 280019301502 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
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 Joel E Smilow Collegiate compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Joel E Smilow Collegiate
Joel E Smilow Collegiate is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Jackson, Mississippi, enrolling 547 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the larger 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 547 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 210 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #192, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 31.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Jackson's elementary schools, it stands alongside Gary Road Intermediate School (680 students): Joel E Smilow Collegiate is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.8:1 vs 14.5:1).
Joel E Smilow Collegiate is a single-school charter district, so Joel E Smilow Collegiate operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Joel E Smilow Collegiate compares
Joel E Smilow Collegiate on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 547 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
547
Bigger than 67% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 77% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
46.3%
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
$11,691
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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 96.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
White 0.7%
Two or More 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 96.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.1, Joel E Smilow Collegiate is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Joel E Smilow Collegiate, which includes Joel E Smilow Collegiate.
$11,691
Per student
-2%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.7%
State 39.4%
Federal 31.9%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Jackson
3 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.
Similar enrollment (~547 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Joel E Smilow Collegiate's federal record.
- Compare Joel E Smilow Collegiate against another school. Compare schools
- Joel E Smilow Collegiate'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 Joel E Smilow Collegiate
How many students attend Joel E Smilow Collegiate?
Joel E Smilow Collegiate has 547 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Jackson, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joel E Smilow Collegiate?
The student-teacher ratio at Joel E Smilow Collegiate is 14.8:1, which is 11% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joel E Smilow Collegiate?
100.0% of students at Joel E Smilow Collegiate are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joel E Smilow Collegiate?
The largest demographic group at Joel E Smilow Collegiate is African American at 96.9% of enrollment, in Jackson, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joel E Smilow Collegiate?
Joel E Smilow Collegiate has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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 Joel E Smilow Collegiate rank among elementary schools in Jackson?
By Resource Investment Index, Joel E Smilow Collegiate ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Jackson, 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 Jackson on the city page.
Is Joel E Smilow Collegiate a good school?
Joel E Smilow Collegiate earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Mississippi schools. 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 Joel E Smilow Collegiate?
None; Joel E Smilow Collegiate is a single-school charter district, and Joel E Smilow Collegiate is its only campus.
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.