Enrollment
1,324
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Petal, MS
Petal High School
Federal NCES profile for Petal High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280353001068
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Petal High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Petal · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 55.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Petal High School has class sizes larger than 71% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Petal High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Petal, MS.
School address
District: Petal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280353001068 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.5%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Petal High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Petal High School
Petal High School is a higher-need, large high school in Petal, Mississippi, enrolling 1,324 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 55.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Mississippi, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,324 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 57 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #23.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and African American (18%) (diversity index 50/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 441 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 19.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 306 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,324 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Petal School Dist also operates Petal Primary School (1,016 students) and Petal Middle School (645 students) alongside Petal 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 Petal High School compares
Petal 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 | 14.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.5% | ▼ 31% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,324 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,324
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% 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
- 9% above state mean
Top 71% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$9,778
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 441 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
232
in-school suspensions + 74 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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 67.6%
African American 18.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 67.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.9, Petal High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Petal School Dist, which includes Petal High School.
$9,778
Per student
-18%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.0%
State 51.0%
Federal 19.0%
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 Petal High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petal Primary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Petal Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Petal Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Petal Upper Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Petal High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,016
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 645
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~1,324 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Petal High School's federal record.
- Compare Petal High School against another school. Compare schools
- Petal 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 Petal High School
How many students attend Petal High School?
Petal High School has 1,324 students enrolled. It is a high school in Petal, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Petal High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Petal High School is 14.5:1, which is 9% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Petal High School?
55.5% of students at Petal High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Petal High School?
The largest demographic group at Petal High School is White at 67.6% of enrollment, in Petal, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Petal High School?
Petal High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Petal High School rank among public schools in Petal?
By Resource Investment Index, Petal High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Petal, 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 Petal on the city page.
Is Petal High School a good school?
Petal High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi. 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 Petal School Dist?
Besides Petal High School, Petal School Dist also operates Petal Primary School (1,016 students), Petal Middle School (645 students), and Petal Elementary (636 students). See the Petal 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.