Enrollment
239
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Marks, MS
M. S. Palmer High School
Federal NCES profile for M. S. Palmer High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280381000730
👥 S:T ratio 44
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
M. S. Palmer High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 239
- students enrolled
M. S. Palmer High School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Quitman Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280381000730 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How M. S. Palmer High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at M. S. Palmer High School
M. S. Palmer High School is a high-poverty, small high school in Marks, Mississippi, enrolling 239 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.1:1 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.
Enrollment of 239 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 203 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #177, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 239 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Quitman Co School Dist spends $15,316 per pupil, 28% above the Mississippi average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 39.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 230 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 239 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Quitman Co School Dist also operates Quitman County Elementary School (331 students) and Quitman County Middle School (265 students) alongside M. S. Palmer High 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 M. S. Palmer High School compares
M. S. Palmer High 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 6% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 239 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
239
Bigger than 24% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 66% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
34.3%
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
$15,316
per pupil, district-wide
- above Mississippi avg of $11,990
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 239 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
134
in-school suspensions + 96 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 56.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 96.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 97.1%
Two or More 1.7%
White 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 97.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.7, M. S. Palmer High School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Quitman Co School Dist, which includes M. S. Palmer High School.
$15,316
Per student
+28%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.5%
State 36.3%
Federal 39.2%
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.
How M. S. Palmer High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quitman County Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Quitman County Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to M. S. Palmer High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar high 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 (~239 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on M. S. Palmer High School's federal record.
- Compare M. S. Palmer High School against another school. Compare schools
- Quitman 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 M. S. Palmer High School
How many students attend M. S. Palmer High School?
M. S. Palmer High School has 239 students enrolled. It is a high school in Marks, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at M. S. Palmer High School?
The student-teacher ratio at M. S. Palmer High School is 14.1:1, which is 6% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at M. S. Palmer High School?
100.0% of students at M. S. Palmer High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of M. S. Palmer High School?
The largest demographic group at M. S. Palmer High School is African American at 97.1% of enrollment, in Marks, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for M. S. Palmer High School?
M. S. Palmer High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is M. S. Palmer High School a good school?
M. S. Palmer High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Quitman Co School Dist?
Besides M. S. Palmer High School, Quitman Co School Dist also operates Quitman County Elementary School (331 students) and Quitman County Middle School (265 students). See the Quitman 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.