Enrollment
646
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mendenhall, MS
Mendenhall High School
Federal NCES profile for Mendenhall High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 12/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280399001086
👥 S:T ratio 19
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mendenhall High School earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Mississippi schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Mendenhall · Resource Index
- 12
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.2:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 77.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Mendenhall High School has class sizes larger than 99% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mendenhall High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Mendenhall, MS.
School address
District: Simpson Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280399001086 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+52% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.5%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mendenhall High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mendenhall High School
Mendenhall High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Mendenhall, Mississippi, enrolling 646 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.2:1 is larger than about 99% of Mississippi schools and 52% above the 13.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 77.5% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 646 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 112 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #112, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (56%) and White (42%) (diversity index 52/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 646 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.3% 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.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Simpson Co School Dist also operates Mendenhall Elementary School (598 students) and Magee Elementary School (525 students) alongside Mendenhall 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 Mendenhall High School compares
Mendenhall 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 | 20.2:1 | ▲ 52% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.5% | ▼ 4% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 646 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.2:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
646
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% below the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.2:1
students per teacher
- 52% above state mean
Top 99% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
52.3%
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
$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 646 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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 55.6%
White 41.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Two or More 1.1%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 55.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.7, Mendenhall High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Simpson Co School Dist, which includes Mendenhall High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendenhall Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Magee Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Simpson Central School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Magee High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Magee Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mendenhall High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 598
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- 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 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 (~646 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mendenhall High School's federal record.
- Compare Mendenhall High 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 High School
How many students attend Mendenhall High School?
Mendenhall High School has 646 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mendenhall, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mendenhall High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mendenhall High School is 20.2:1, which is 52% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 29% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mendenhall High School?
77.5% of students at Mendenhall High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mendenhall High School?
The largest demographic group at Mendenhall High School is African American at 55.6% of enrollment, in Mendenhall, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mendenhall High School?
Mendenhall High School has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mendenhall High School rank among public schools in Mendenhall?
By Resource Investment Index, Mendenhall High School ranks #3 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 High School a good school?
Mendenhall High School earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Simpson Co School Dist?
Besides Mendenhall High School, Simpson Co School Dist also operates Mendenhall Elementary School (598 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.