Enrollment
632
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Petal, MS
Petal Upper Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Petal Upper Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280353000007
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Petal Upper Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Petal · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 58.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Petal Upper Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Petal Upper Elementary School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Petal, MS.
School address
District: Petal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280353000007 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.5%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Petal Upper Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Petal Upper Elementary School
Petal Upper Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Petal, Mississippi, enrolling 632 students.
At 13.7:1, 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 58.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 632 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 160 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #35.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 632 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.4% 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.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Petal's elementary schools, it stands alongside Petal Elementary (636 students): Petal Upper Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.7:1 vs 13.8:1).
Petal School Dist also operates Petal High School (1,324 students) and Petal Primary School (1,016 students) alongside Petal Upper Elementary 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 Upper Elementary School compares
Petal Upper Elementary 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 | 13.7:1 | ▲ 3% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.5% | ▼ 27% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 632 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
632
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 59% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.4%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 632 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
40
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 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 68.4%
African American 17.1%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 68.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.2, Petal Upper Elementary School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Petal School Dist, which includes Petal Upper Elementary 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 Upper Elementary 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 | Lower S:T ratio |
| Petal Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Petal Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Petal Upper Elementary 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
- 645
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Petal
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~632 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Petal Upper Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Petal Upper Elementary 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 Upper Elementary School
How many students attend Petal Upper Elementary School?
Petal Upper Elementary School has 632 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Petal, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Petal Upper Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Petal Upper Elementary School is 13.7:1, which is 3% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Petal Upper Elementary School?
58.5% of students at Petal Upper Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Petal Upper Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Petal Upper Elementary School is White at 68.4% of enrollment, in Petal, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Petal Upper Elementary School?
Petal Upper Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 Upper Elementary School rank among public schools in Petal?
By Resource Investment Index, Petal Upper Elementary School ranks #2 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 Upper Elementary School a good school?
Petal Upper Elementary School earns 45/100 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 Upper Elementary School, Petal School Dist also operates Petal High School (1,324 students), Petal Primary School (1,016 students), and Petal Middle School (645 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.