Enrollment
383
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Carthage, MS
Leake Central Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Leake Central Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 280252001119
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Leake Central Junior High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Mississippi schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Carthage · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.7:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Leake Central Junior High has class sizes larger than 74% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Leake Central Junior High ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Carthage, MS.
School address
District: Leake Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280252001119 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
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 Leake Central Junior High compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Leake Central Junior High
Leake Central Junior High is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Carthage, Mississippi, enrolling 383 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.7:1 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.
With 383 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 312 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #258, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 383 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.7% 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: 101 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 383 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Leake Co School Dist also operates Leake Central Elementary School (850 students) and Leake Central High School (592 students) alongside Leake Central Junior High.
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 Junior High compares
Leake Central Junior High on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.7:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 383 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
383
Bigger than 45% 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
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 74% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.7%
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
$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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 383 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 101 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.4 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 58.0%
Hispanic or Latino 24.3%
White 13.8%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 58.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.5, Leake Central Junior High is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Leake Co School Dist, which includes Leake Central Junior High.
$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 Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leake Central Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Leake Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leake County Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Leake County High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Leake Central Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 850
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- 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 middle 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 (~383 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Leake Central Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Leake Central Junior High 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 Junior High
How many students attend Leake Central Junior High?
Leake Central Junior High has 383 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Carthage, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Leake Central Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Leake Central Junior High is 14.7:1, 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 Leake Central Junior High?
100.0% of students at Leake Central Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Leake Central Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Leake Central Junior High is African American at 58.0% of enrollment, in Carthage, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Leake Central Junior High?
Leake Central Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Junior High rank among public schools in Carthage?
By Resource Investment Index, Leake Central Junior High ranks #2 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 Junior High a good school?
Leake Central Junior High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of 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 Leake Co School Dist?
Besides Leake Central Junior High, Leake Co School Dist also operates Leake Central Elementary School (850 students), Leake Central High School (592 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.