Enrollment
108
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · De Kalb, MS
Kemper County Upper Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Kemper County Upper Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280231001530
👥 S:T ratio 73
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 80
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kemper County Upper Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Mississippi.
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.8:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 108
- students enrolled
Kemper County Upper Elementary has class sizes smaller than 99% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Kemper Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280231001530 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.8:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-49% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kemper County Upper Elementary compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kemper County Upper Elementary
Kemper County Upper Elementary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in De Kalb, Mississippi, enrolling 108 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.8:1, Kemper County Upper Elementary is leaner than roughly 99% of Mississippi schools and 49% under the state's 13.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of Mississippi schools, with 108 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 90% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 26 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #15.
Its student body is predominantly African American (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 98 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Kemper Co School Dist spends $18,074 per pupil, 51% above the Mississippi average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 115 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 108 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Kemper Co School Dist also operates Kemper County High School (304 students) and Kemper County Lower Elementary (285 students) alongside Kemper County Upper 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 Kemper County Upper Elementary compares
Kemper County Upper 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 | 6.8:1 | ▼ 49% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 108 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.8:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
108
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
6.8:1
students per teacher
- 49% below state mean
Top 1% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
53.7%
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
$18,074
per pupil, district-wide
- above Mississippi avg of $11,990
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 98 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
50
in-school suspensions + 65 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 46.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 106.5 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 91.7%
Two or More 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.9%
White 0.9%
Largest group: African American at 91.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.6, Kemper County Upper Elementary is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kemper Co School Dist, which includes Kemper County Upper Elementary.
$18,074
Per student
+51%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.4%
State 29.7%
Federal 22.9%
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.
How Kemper County Upper Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kemper County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kemper County Lower Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kemper County Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kemper County Upper Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 285
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 191
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~108 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kemper County Upper Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Kemper County Upper Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Kemper 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 Kemper County Upper Elementary
How many students attend Kemper County Upper Elementary?
Kemper County Upper Elementary has 108 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in De Kalb, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kemper County Upper Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Kemper County Upper Elementary is 6.8:1, which is 49% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 57% 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 Kemper County Upper Elementary?
100.0% of students at Kemper County Upper Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kemper County Upper Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Kemper County Upper Elementary is African American at 91.7% of enrollment, in De Kalb, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kemper County Upper Elementary?
Kemper County Upper Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher 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).
Is Kemper County Upper Elementary a good school?
Kemper County Upper Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Mississippi. 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 Kemper Co School Dist?
Besides Kemper County Upper Elementary, Kemper Co School Dist also operates Kemper County High School (304 students), Kemper County Lower Elementary (285 students), and Kemper County Middle School (191 students). See the Kemper 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.