Enrollment
549
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pope, MS
Pope Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Pope Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280405000765
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pope Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 67.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 549
- students enrolled
Pope Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: South Panola School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280405000765 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pope Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pope Elementary School
Pope Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Pope, Mississippi, enrolling 549 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 67.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 549 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 181 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #145, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 549 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 160 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 549 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
South Panola School District also operates South Panola High School (1,113 students) and Batesville Junior High School (756 students) alongside Pope 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 Pope Elementary School compares
Pope 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 | 67.0% | ▼ 17% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 549 | top 31% | - | - |
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.
549
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
36.1%
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
$10,521
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 549 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
135
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 81.4%
African American 14.8%
Two or More 2.7%
Hispanic or Latino 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.5, Pope Elementary School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Panola School District, which includes Pope Elementary School.
$10,521
Per student
-12%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.4%
State 48.5%
Federal 25.1%
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 Pope Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Panola High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Batesville Junior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Batesville Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Batesville Intermediate School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Batesville Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pope Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,113
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 741
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar other 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 (~549 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pope Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Pope Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- South Panola School District'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 Pope Elementary School
How many students attend Pope Elementary School?
Pope Elementary School has 549 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pope, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pope Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Pope 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 Pope Elementary School?
67.0% of students at Pope Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pope Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Pope Elementary School is White at 81.4% of enrollment, in Pope, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pope Elementary School?
Pope Elementary 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).
Is Pope Elementary School a good school?
Pope Elementary 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 South Panola School District?
Besides Pope Elementary School, South Panola School District also operates South Panola High School (1,113 students), Batesville Junior High School (756 students), and Batesville Elementary School (741 students). See the South Panola School District 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.