Enrollment
768
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Decatur, MS
Newton County High School
Federal NCES profile for Newton County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280315001135
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Newton County High School earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 51.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 768
- students enrolled
Newton County High School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Newton County School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280315001135 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Newton County High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Newton County High School
Newton County High School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Decatur, Mississippi, enrolling 768 students.
At 13.7:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 51.4% free-meal eligibility runs 36% below the Mississippi average.
Enrollment of 768 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 130 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #126, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and African American (21%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 768 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.3% 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 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Decatur's public schools, it stands alongside Newton County Elementary School (882 students): Newton County High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.7:1 vs 12.8:1).
Its district, Newton County School District, also runs Newton County Elementary School (882 students).
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 Newton County High School compares
Newton County 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 | 13.7:1 | ▲ 3% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.4% | ▼ 36% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 768 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
768
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 59% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
37.6%
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
$10,570
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 768 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 106 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.4 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.
Student demographics
White 67.8%
African American 21.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 67.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.1, Newton County High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newton County School District, which includes Newton County High School.
$10,570
Per student
-12%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 50.1%
Federal 26.3%
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 Newton County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton County Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Newton County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 882
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other schools in Decatur
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~768 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Newton County High School's federal record.
- Compare Newton County High School against another school. Compare schools
- Newton County School District'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 Newton County High School
How many students attend Newton County High School?
Newton County High School has 768 students enrolled. It is a public school in Decatur, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Newton County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Newton County High School is 13.7:1, which is 3% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Newton County High School?
51.4% of students at Newton County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Newton County High School?
The largest demographic group at Newton County High School is White at 67.8% of enrollment, in Decatur, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Newton County High School?
Newton County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower 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).
Is Newton County High School a good school?
Newton County High School earns 20/100 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 Newton County School District?
Besides Newton County High School, Newton County School District also operates Newton County Elementary School (882 students). See the Newton County School District 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.