Enrollment
787
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbus, MS
New Hope High School
Federal NCES profile for New Hope High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280273001127
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
New Hope High School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Mississippi schools.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.6:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 59.9%
- free-lunch eligible
New Hope High School has class sizes larger than 73% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, New Hope High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Columbus, MS.
School address
District: Lowndes Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280273001127 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.9%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How New Hope High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at New Hope High School
New Hope High School is a higher-need, large high school in Columbus, Mississippi, enrolling 787 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 59.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 787 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 150 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #121, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and African American (45%) (diversity index 54/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 394 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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 New Hope Elementary School (1,191 students) and Caledonia Elementary School (1,070 students) alongside New Hope 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 New Hope High School compares
New Hope 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 | 14.6:1 | ▲ 10% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.9% | ▼ 26% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 787 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
787
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.0%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 394 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.1 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 50.1%
African American 45.4%
Two or More 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 50.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.2, New Hope High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lowndes Co School Dist, which includes New Hope High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hope Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Caledonia Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Caledonia High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| New Hope Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Caledonia Middle School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to New Hope High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,191
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- 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 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 (~787 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on New Hope High School's federal record.
- Compare New Hope High 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 High School
How many students attend New Hope High School?
New Hope High School has 787 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbus, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at New Hope High School?
The student-teacher ratio at New Hope High School is 14.6:1, which is 10% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at New Hope High School?
59.9% of students at New Hope High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of New Hope High School?
The largest demographic group at New Hope High School is White at 50.1% of enrollment, in Columbus, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for New Hope High School?
New Hope High School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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).
How does New Hope High School rank among high schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, New Hope High School ranks #2 of 3 high 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 high schools in Columbus on the city page.
Is New Hope High School a good school?
New Hope High School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% 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 Lowndes Co School Dist?
Besides New Hope High School, Lowndes Co School Dist also operates New Hope Elementary School (1,191 students), Caledonia Elementary School (1,070 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.