Enrollment
388
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 280246001345
Laurel Middle School — Laurel, MS
Federal NCES profile for Laurel Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 0
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: Laurel School District · 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Laurel Middle School 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
Laurel Middle School reports 388 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 0% higher, 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. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 194 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 82.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Laurel School District spends $13,386 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.2% from local sources (property taxes), 32.6% from the state, and 19.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Laurel Middle School 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 19% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 388 | top 45% | — | — |
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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 88% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
82.7%
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
$13,386
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 194 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 389 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 100.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 20 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 388 Top 45% in Mississippi — larger than 55% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +24% vs state
NCES ID 280246001345
Student demographics
African American 79.9%
Hispanic or Latino 13.9%
Two or More 3.6%
White 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 79.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 194:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 82.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 389
Expulsions 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Laurel School District, which includes Laurel Middle School.
$13,386
Per student
0%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.2%
State 32.6%
Federal 19.2%
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
- 732
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 345
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 253
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
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 Laurel Middle School
How many students attend Laurel Middle School?
Laurel Middle School has 388 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Laurel, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Laurel Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Laurel Middle School is 15.9:1, which is 19% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Laurel Middle School?
100.0% of students at Laurel Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Laurel Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Laurel Middle School is African American at 79.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Laurel, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Laurel Middle School?
Laurel Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.