Enrollment
850
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Carthage, MS
Leake Central Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Leake Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280252001118
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Leake Central Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Carthage · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Leake Central Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Leake Central Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Carthage, MS.
School address
District: Leake Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280252001118 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Leake Central Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Leake Central Elementary School
Leake Central Elementary School is a high-poverty, large elementary school in Carthage, Mississippi, enrolling 850 students.
At 12.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Mississippi median, within a few percentage points of the 13.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
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 850 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 70 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #23.
Its student body is led by African American (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 425 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 33.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 261 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 850 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Leake Co School Dist also operates Leake Central High School (592 students) and Leake Central Junior High (383 students) alongside Leake Central Elementary 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 Leake Central Elementary School compares
Leake Central Elementary 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 5% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 850 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
850
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 41% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$10,530
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 425 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
188
in-school suspensions + 73 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 22.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.7 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 55.2%
Hispanic or Latino 27.8%
White 14.0%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 55.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.8, Leake Central Elementary School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leake Co School Dist, which includes Leake Central Elementary School.
$10,530
Per student
-12%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.9%
State 47.6%
Federal 33.5%
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 Leake Central Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leake Central High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leake Central Junior High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leake County Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Leake County High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Leake Central Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 317
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 266
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~850 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Leake Central Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Leake Central Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Leake 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 Leake Central Elementary School
How many students attend Leake Central Elementary School?
Leake Central Elementary School has 850 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Carthage, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Leake Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Leake Central Elementary School is 12.7:1, which is 5% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 19% 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 Leake Central Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Leake Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Leake Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Leake Central Elementary School is African American at 55.2% of enrollment, in Carthage, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Leake Central Elementary School?
Leake Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Leake Central Elementary School rank among public schools in Carthage?
By Resource Investment Index, Leake Central Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Carthage, 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 Carthage on the city page.
Is Leake Central Elementary School a good school?
Leake Central Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. 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 Leake Co School Dist?
Besides Leake Central Elementary School, Leake Co School Dist also operates Leake Central High School (592 students), Leake Central Junior High (383 students), and Leake County Elementary School (317 students). See the Leake 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.