Enrollment
262
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · New Augusta, MS
Perry Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Perry Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280357001071
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Perry Central High School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 71.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 262
- students enrolled
Perry Central High School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Perry Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280357001071 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.2%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perry Central High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Perry Central High School
Perry Central High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in New Augusta, Mississippi, enrolling 262 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 71.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 262 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 62 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #57, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 61/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 262 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.3% 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 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Perry Co School Dist also operates South Perry Elementary School (234 students) and Perry Central Middle School (178 students) alongside Perry Central High 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 Perry Central High School compares
Perry Central 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.2% | ▼ 12% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 262 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
262
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 38% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
38.5%
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
$14,180
per pupil, district-wide
- above Mississippi avg of $11,990
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 262 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 54.2%
African American 22.5%
Two or More 21.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.9%
Largest group: White at 54.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.9, Perry Central High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry Co School Dist, which includes Perry Central High School.
$14,180
Per student
+18%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.8%
State 40.9%
Federal 28.3%
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 Perry Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Perry Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Perry Central Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Runnelstown Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Perry Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 178
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 173
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high 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 (~262 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Perry Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Perry Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Perry Co 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 Perry Central High School
How many students attend Perry Central High School?
Perry Central High School has 262 students enrolled. It is a high school in New Augusta, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perry Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Perry Central High School is 12.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 20% 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 Perry Central High School?
71.2% of students at Perry Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perry Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Perry Central High School is White at 54.2% of enrollment, in New Augusta, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry Central High School?
Perry Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Perry Central High School a good school?
Perry Central High School earns 28/100 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 Perry Co School Dist?
Besides Perry Central High School, Perry Co School Dist also operates South Perry Elementary School (234 students), Perry Central Middle School (178 students), and Runnelstown Elementary School (173 students). See the Perry Co 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.