Enrollment
243
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mendenhall, MS
Mendenhall Junior High School
Federal NCES profile for Mendenhall Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 280399001087
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mendenhall Junior High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Mississippi schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Mendenhall · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 85.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Mendenhall Junior High School has class sizes smaller than 74% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mendenhall Junior High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Mendenhall, MS.
School address
District: Simpson Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280399001087 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.6%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mendenhall Junior High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mendenhall Junior High School
Mendenhall Junior High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Mendenhall, Mississippi, enrolling 243 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 85.6% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 243 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 234 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #131.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 243 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 77.8% 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.
Discipline events run high: 75 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 243 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Simpson Co School Dist also operates Mendenhall High School (646 students) and Mendenhall Elementary School (598 students) alongside Mendenhall Junior 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 Junior High School compares
Mendenhall Junior 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.6% | ▲ 6% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 243 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
243
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 26% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
77.8%
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 243 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 Simpson Co School Dist, which includes Mendenhall Junior 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 Junior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendenhall High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mendenhall Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magee Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Simpson Central School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Magee High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mendenhall Junior High 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
- 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
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 (~243 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mendenhall Junior High School's federal record.
- Compare Mendenhall Junior 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 Junior High School
How many students attend Mendenhall Junior High School?
Mendenhall Junior High School has 243 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mendenhall, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mendenhall Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mendenhall Junior High School is 11.6:1, which is 13% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mendenhall Junior High School?
85.6% of students at Mendenhall Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mendenhall Junior High School?
Mendenhall Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Junior High School rank among public schools in Mendenhall?
By Resource Investment Index, Mendenhall Junior High School ranks #1 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 Junior High School a good school?
Mendenhall Junior High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller 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 Simpson Co School Dist?
Besides Mendenhall Junior High School, Simpson Co School Dist also operates Mendenhall High School (646 students), Mendenhall Elementary School (598 students), and Magee Elementary School (525 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.