Enrollment
598
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mendenhall, MS
Mendenhall Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mendenhall Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280399000756
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mendenhall Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Mendenhall · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 83.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Mendenhall Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mendenhall Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Mendenhall, MS.
School address
District: Simpson Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280399000756 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.8%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mendenhall Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mendenhall Elementary School
Mendenhall Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Mendenhall, Mississippi, enrolling 598 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 83.8% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 598 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 90 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #70, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (49%) and White (46%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 598 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Simpson Co School Dist also operates Mendenhall High School (646 students) and Magee Elementary School (525 students) alongside Mendenhall 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 Mendenhall Elementary School compares
Mendenhall 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 | 14.2:1 | ▲ 7% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.8% | ▲ 4% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 598 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
598
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 67% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.8%
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
$11,064
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 598 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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 48.8%
White 45.7%
Two or More 2.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 48.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.2, Mendenhall 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 Simpson Co School Dist, which includes Mendenhall Elementary School.
$11,064
Per student
-8%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 46.1%
Federal 26.1%
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 Mendenhall Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendenhall High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magee Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Simpson Central School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Magee High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magee Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mendenhall Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~598 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mendenhall Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mendenhall Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Simpson 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 Mendenhall Elementary School
How many students attend Mendenhall Elementary School?
Mendenhall Elementary School has 598 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mendenhall, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mendenhall Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mendenhall Elementary School is 14.2:1, which is 7% 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 Mendenhall Elementary School?
83.8% of students at Mendenhall Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mendenhall Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mendenhall Elementary School is African American at 48.8% of enrollment, in Mendenhall, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mendenhall Elementary School?
Mendenhall Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Mendenhall Elementary School rank among public schools in Mendenhall?
By Resource Investment Index, Mendenhall Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Mendenhall, 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 Mendenhall on the city page.
Is Mendenhall Elementary School a good school?
Mendenhall Elementary School earns 34/100 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 Simpson Co School Dist?
Besides Mendenhall Elementary School, Simpson Co School Dist also operates Mendenhall High School (646 students), Magee Elementary School (525 students), and Simpson Central School (388 students). See the Simpson 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.