Enrollment
187
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Jackson, MS
Lester Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Lester Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280219000398
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lester Elementary School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #3 of 10
- elementary schools in Jackson · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Lester Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lester Elementary School ranks #3 of 10 elementary schools in Jackson, MS.
School address
District: Jackson Public School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280219000398 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lester Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lester Elementary School
Lester Elementary School is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Jackson, Mississippi, enrolling 187 students.
At 13.4:1, 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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of Mississippi schools, with 187 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 128 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 187 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
15.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 24.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Jackson's elementary schools, it stands alongside Gary Road Intermediate School (680 students): Lester Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.4:1 vs 14.5:1).
Jackson Public School District also operates Murrah High School (1,259 students) and Forest Hill High School (1,139 students) alongside Lester 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 Lester Elementary School compares
Lester 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 | 13.4:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 187 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
187
Bigger than 18% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 53% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,155
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 187 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson Public School District, which includes Lester Elementary School.
$12,155
Per student
+1%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 39.7%
Federal 24.5%
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 Lester Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murrah High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forest Hill High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Callaway High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jim Hill High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lanier High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lester Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,259
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,139
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 994
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 975
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 895
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary schools in Jackson
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Gary Road Intermediate School
Standard public school
680 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Ambition Preparatory Charter School
Standard public school
563 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Joel E Smilow Collegiate
Standard public school
547 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Revive Collegiate
Standard public school
367 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
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 (~187 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lester Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Lester Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Jackson Public School District'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 Lester Elementary School
How many students attend Lester Elementary School?
Lester Elementary School has 187 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Jackson, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lester Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Lester Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 1% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lester Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Lester Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lester Elementary School?
Lester Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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).
How does Lester Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Jackson?
By Resource Investment Index, Lester Elementary School ranks #3 of 10 elementary schools in Jackson, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Jackson on the city page.
Is Lester Elementary School a good school?
Lester Elementary School earns 60/100 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 Jackson Public School District?
Besides Lester Elementary School, Jackson Public School District also operates Murrah High School (1,259 students), Forest Hill High School (1,139 students), and Callaway High School (994 students). See the Jackson Public School District 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.