Enrollment
645
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Petal, MS
Petal Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Petal Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 280353000005
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Petal Middle School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Petal · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 62.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Petal Middle School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Petal Middle School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Petal, MS.
School address
District: Petal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280353000005 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.1%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Petal Middle School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Petal Middle School
Petal Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Petal, Mississippi, enrolling 645 students.
At 13.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Mississippi median, within a few percentage points of the 13.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 62.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 645 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 167 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #129, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and African American (18%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 645 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
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: 166 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 645 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Petal School Dist also operates Petal High School (1,324 students) and Petal Primary School (1,016 students) alongside Petal 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 Petal Middle School compares
Petal 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 | 13.4:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.1% | ▼ 23% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 645 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
645
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 53% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.2%
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
$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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 645 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
128
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.7 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 72.4%
African American 18.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 72.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.9, Petal Middle School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Petal School Dist, which includes Petal Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petal High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Petal Primary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Petal Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Petal Upper Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Petal Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,324
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,016
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- 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 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 (~645 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Petal Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Petal Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Petal Middle School?
Petal Middle School has 645 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Petal, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Petal Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Petal Middle School is 13.4:1, which is 1% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Petal Middle School?
62.1% of students at Petal Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Petal Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Petal Middle School is White at 72.4% of enrollment, in Petal, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Petal Middle School?
Petal Middle 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 Petal Middle School rank among public schools in Petal?
By Resource Investment Index, Petal Middle School ranks #4 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 Middle School a good school?
Petal Middle School earns 31/100 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 Petal School Dist?
Besides Petal Middle School, Petal School Dist also operates Petal High School (1,324 students), Petal Primary School (1,016 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.