Enrollment
521
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 280019201471 Charter school
Joel E. Smilow Prep — Jackson, MS
Federal NCES profile for Joel E. Smilow Prep, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 38
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 →
School address
District: Joel E. Smillow Prep · 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joel E. Smilow Prep 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
Joel E. Smilow Prep reports 521 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the Mississippi average and 93% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Joel E. Smillow Prep spends $11,260 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.7% from local sources (property taxes), 40.6% from the state, and 28.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), 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 Joel E. Smilow Prep 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 10% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 521 | top 66% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 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
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
— 10% above state mean
Top 75% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,260
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 81 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 521 Top 66% in Mississippi — larger than 34% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +24% vs state
NCES ID 280019201471
Student demographics
African American 98.8%
Two or More 0.6%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
White 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 98.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 81
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Joel E. Smillow Prep, which includes Joel E. Smilow Prep.
$11,260
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.7%
State 40.6%
Federal 28.7%
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
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Reimagine Prep
Standard public school
457 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Oak Forest Elementary School
Standard public school
436 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Spann Elementary School
Standard public school
433 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Boyd Elementary School
Standard public school
424 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Midtown Public Charter School
Standard public school
420 students 11.4:1 students per teacher
Casey Elementary School
Standard public school
308 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
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 Joel E. Smilow Prep
How many students attend Joel E. Smilow Prep?
Joel E. Smilow Prep has 521 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in JACKSON, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joel E. Smilow Prep?
The student-teacher ratio at Joel E. Smilow Prep is 14.8:1, which is 10% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joel E. Smilow Prep?
100.0% of students at Joel E. Smilow Prep are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joel E. Smilow Prep?
The largest demographic group at Joel E. Smilow Prep is African American at 98.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in JACKSON, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joel E. Smilow Prep?
Joel E. Smilow Prep has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) 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.