Enrollment
203
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Biloxi, MS
Nichols Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Nichols Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280063001263
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nichols Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Mississippi schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #9 of 11
- public schools in Biloxi · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.7:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 81.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Nichols Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 92% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Nichols Elementary School ranks #9 of 11 public schools in Biloxi, MS.
School address
District: Biloxi Public School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280063001263 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.6%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nichols Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nichols Elementary School
Nichols Elementary School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Biloxi, Mississippi, enrolling 203 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.7:1, Nichols Elementary School is leaner than roughly 92% of Mississippi schools and 27% under the state's 13.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 81.6% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Mississippi schools, with 203 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 41 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #39, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (41%) and White (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 30.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Biloxi Public School Dist also operates Biloxi High School (1,669 students) and Biloxi Junior High (863 students) alongside Nichols 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 Nichols Elementary School compares
Nichols 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 | 9.7:1 | ▼ 27% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.6% | ▲ 1% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 203 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
203
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 8% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.9%
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
$12,135
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 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
African American 40.9%
White 26.6%
Hispanic or Latino 21.2%
Two or More 10.3%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: African American at 40.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.6, Nichols Elementary School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Biloxi Public School Dist, which includes Nichols Elementary School.
$12,135
Per student
+1%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 31.8%
Federal 30.5%
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 Nichols Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biloxi High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Biloxi Junior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Biloxi Upper Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Bay Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Popps Ferry Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nichols Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,669
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 863
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 658
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 608
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~203 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nichols Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Nichols Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Biloxi Public 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 Nichols Elementary School
How many students attend Nichols Elementary School?
Nichols Elementary School has 203 students enrolled. It is a public school in Biloxi, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nichols Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nichols Elementary School is 9.7:1, which is 27% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 38% 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 Nichols Elementary School?
81.6% of students at Nichols Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nichols Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Nichols Elementary School is African American at 40.9% of enrollment, in Biloxi, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nichols Elementary School?
Nichols Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Nichols Elementary School rank among public schools in Biloxi?
By Resource Investment Index, Nichols Elementary School ranks #9 of 11 public schools in Biloxi, 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 Biloxi on the city page.
Is Nichols Elementary School a good school?
Nichols Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Mississippi schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Biloxi Public School Dist?
Besides Nichols Elementary School, Biloxi Public School Dist also operates Biloxi High School (1,669 students), Biloxi Junior High (863 students), and Biloxi Upper Elementary (844 students). See the Biloxi Public 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.