Enrollment
763
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pearl, MS
Pearl Lower Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Pearl Lower Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280352000002
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pearl Lower Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% of Mississippi schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Pearl · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 67.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Pearl Lower Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 70% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pearl Lower Elementary School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Pearl, MS.
School address
District: Pearl Public School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280352000002 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.9%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pearl Lower Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pearl Lower Elementary School
Pearl Lower Elementary School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Pearl, Mississippi, enrolling 763 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 67.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 763 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 141 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #103, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (40%) and White (39%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 763 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.2% 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.
Pearl Public School District also operates Pearl High School (1,278 students) and Pearl Junior High School (944 students) alongside Pearl Lower 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 Pearl Lower Elementary School compares
Pearl Lower 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.9% | ▼ 16% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 763 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
763
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 30% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.2%
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
$10,050
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 763 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 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
African American 40.4%
White 38.8%
Hispanic or Latino 11.7%
Two or More 7.9%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 40.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.6, Pearl Lower Elementary School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pearl Public School District, which includes Pearl Lower Elementary School.
$10,050
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Pearl Lower Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pearl Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northside Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pearl Upper School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pearl Lower Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,278
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 944
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 608
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~763 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pearl Lower Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Pearl Lower Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Pearl Public 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 Pearl Lower Elementary School
How many students attend Pearl Lower Elementary School?
Pearl Lower Elementary School has 763 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pearl, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pearl Lower Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pearl Lower Elementary School is 11.9:1, which is 11% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 24% 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 Pearl Lower Elementary School?
67.9% of students at Pearl Lower Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pearl Lower Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pearl Lower Elementary School is African American at 40.4% of enrollment, in Pearl, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pearl Lower Elementary School?
Pearl Lower Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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).
How does Pearl Lower Elementary School rank among public schools in Pearl?
By Resource Investment Index, Pearl Lower Elementary School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Pearl, 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 Pearl on the city page.
Is Pearl Lower Elementary School a good school?
Pearl Lower Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Pearl Public School District?
Besides Pearl Lower Elementary School, Pearl Public School District also operates Pearl High School (1,278 students), Pearl Junior High School (944 students), and Northside Elementary School (665 students). See the Pearl Public 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.