Enrollment
944
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 280352001354
Pearl Junior High School — Pearl, MS
Federal NCES profile for Pearl Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 32
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pearl Junior High School earns an F Resource Investment Index (36/100), with class sizes larger than 70% of Mississippi schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 36/100
- 14.5:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 72.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 944
- students enrolled
School address
District: Pearl Public School District · Mississippi
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pearl Junior High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Pearl Junior High School reports 944 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 69.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 72.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the Mississippi average and 40% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 944 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pearl Public School District spends $10,701 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.5% from local sources (property taxes), 47.4% from the state, and 18.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Pearl Junior High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Mississippi state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▲ 8% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.4% | ▼ 10% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 944 | top 91% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
15 smaller classes than 54% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
944 larger than 90% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
72.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 70% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,701
per pupil, district-wide
— below Mississippi avg of $13,402
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 944 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
144
in-school suspensions + 152 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 24 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 944 Top 91% in Mississippi — larger than 9% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 69.0
Students per teacher 14.5:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 72.4% -10% vs state
NCES ID 280352001354
Student demographics
White 43.2%
African American 40.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.1%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 43.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 944:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.3%
In-school suspensions 144
Out-of-school suspensions 152
Expulsions 24
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pearl Public School District, which includes Pearl Junior High School.
$10,701
Per student
-20%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 47.4%
Federal 18.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,278
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 608
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Pearl Junior High School
How many students attend Pearl Junior High School?
Pearl Junior High School has 944 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PEARL, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pearl Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pearl Junior High School is 14.5:1, which is 8% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pearl Junior High School?
72.4% of students at Pearl Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pearl Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Pearl Junior High School is White at 43.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in PEARL, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pearl Junior High School?
Pearl Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.