Enrollment
608
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 280352001181
Pearl Upper School — Pearl, MS
Federal NCES profile for Pearl Upper School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 30
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 Upper School earns an F Resource Investment Index (36/100), with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- F
- Resource Index · 36/100
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 74.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 608
- 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pearl Upper 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 Upper School reports 608 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the Mississippi average and 44% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 608 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.0% 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 Upper 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 | 13.9:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.4% | ▼ 8% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 608 | top 75% | — | — |
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)
14 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 60% 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')
608 larger than 73% 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
74.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 60% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.0%
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 608 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 608 Top 75% in Mississippi — larger than 25% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.4% -8% vs state
NCES ID 280352001181
Student demographics
White 46.2%
African American 35.2%
Hispanic or Latino 12.0%
Two or More 5.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 46.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 608:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.0%
In-school suspensions 32
Out-of-school suspensions 25
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pearl Public School District, which includes Pearl Upper 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
- 944
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Pearl
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Upper School
How many students attend Pearl Upper School?
Pearl Upper School has 608 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in PEARL, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pearl Upper School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pearl Upper School is 13.9:1, which is 4% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pearl Upper School?
74.4% of students at Pearl Upper School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pearl Upper School?
The largest demographic group at Pearl Upper School is White at 46.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in PEARL, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pearl Upper School?
Pearl Upper 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.