Enrollment
178
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · New Augusta, MS
Perry Central Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Perry Central Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 280357000689
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Perry Central Middle School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Mississippi schools.
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.5:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 81.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 178
- students enrolled
Perry Central Middle School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Perry Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280357000689 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.5%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perry Central Middle School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Perry Central Middle School
Perry Central Middle School is a high-poverty, small middle school in New Augusta, Mississippi, enrolling 178 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, Perry Central Middle School is leaner than roughly 87% of Mississippi schools and 21% under the state's 13.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 81.5% 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 93% of Mississippi schools, with 178 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 28 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 178 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights 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 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Perry Co School Dist also operates Perry Central High School (262 students) and South Perry Elementary School (234 students) alongside Perry Central Middle 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 Middle School compares
Perry Central Middle 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 21% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.5% | ▲ 1% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 178 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
178
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.5%
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
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 13% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.8%
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 178 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 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
White 61.2%
African American 23.0%
Two or More 14.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Largest group: White at 61.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.1, Perry Central Middle School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry Co School Dist, which includes Perry Central Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Perry Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Runnelstown Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Perry Central Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 173
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar middle 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 (~178 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Perry Central Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Perry Central Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Perry Central Middle School?
Perry Central Middle School has 178 students enrolled. It is a middle school in New Augusta, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perry Central Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Perry Central Middle School is 10.5:1, which is 21% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 33% 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 Middle School?
81.5% of students at Perry Central Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perry Central Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Perry Central Middle School is White at 61.2% of enrollment, in New Augusta, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry Central Middle School?
Perry Central Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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).
Is Perry Central Middle School a good school?
Perry Central Middle School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of 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 Perry Co School Dist?
Besides Perry Central Middle School, Perry Co School Dist also operates Perry Central High School (262 students), South Perry Elementary School (234 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.