Enrollment
1,191
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbus, MS
New Hope Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for New Hope Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280273000532
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
New Hope Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi.
- #5 of 8
- schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 70.0%
- free-lunch eligible
New Hope Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, New Hope Elementary School ranks #5 of 8 schools in Columbus, MS.
School address
District: Lowndes Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280273000532 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How New Hope Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at New Hope Elementary School
New Hope Elementary School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Columbus, Mississippi, enrolling 1,191 students.
At 12.8:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 70.0% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Mississippi, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,191 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 72 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #6, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (51%) and African American (44%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 397 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lowndes Co School Dist also operates Caledonia Elementary School (1,070 students) and New Hope High School (787 students) alongside New Hope 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 New Hope Elementary School compares
New Hope 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.0% | ▼ 13% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,191 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,191
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 13% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 43% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$10,038
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 397 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 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
White 50.6%
African American 44.2%
Two or More 3.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 50.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.7, New Hope 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 Lowndes Co School Dist, which includes New Hope Elementary School.
$10,038
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.4%
State 39.5%
Federal 16.2%
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 New Hope Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonia Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| New Hope High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caledonia High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Hope Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Caledonia Middle School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to New Hope Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 787
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 640
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other 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 (~1,191 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on New Hope Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare New Hope Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Lowndes 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 New Hope Elementary School
How many students attend New Hope Elementary School?
New Hope Elementary School has 1,191 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbus, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at New Hope Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at New Hope Elementary School is 12.8:1, which is 4% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 18% 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 New Hope Elementary School?
70.0% of students at New Hope Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of New Hope Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at New Hope Elementary School is White at 50.6% of enrollment, in Columbus, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for New Hope Elementary School?
New Hope Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 New Hope Elementary School rank among schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, New Hope Elementary School ranks #5 of 8 schools in Columbus, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbus on the city page.
Is New Hope Elementary School a good school?
New Hope Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi. 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 Lowndes Co School Dist?
Besides New Hope Elementary School, Lowndes Co School Dist also operates Caledonia Elementary School (1,070 students), New Hope High School (787 students), and Caledonia High School (640 students). See the Lowndes 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.