Enrollment
521
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Poplarville, MS
Poplarville Lower Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Poplarville Lower Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280372000709
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Poplarville Lower Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Poplarville · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 68.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Poplarville Lower Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Poplarville Lower Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Poplarville, MS.
School address
District: Poplarville Separate School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280372000709 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.5%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poplarville Lower Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Poplarville Lower Elementary School
Poplarville Lower Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Poplarville, Mississippi, enrolling 521 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 68.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 521 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 173 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #63.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Poplarville Separate School Dist also operates Poplarville Jr Sr High School (540 students) and Middle School of Poplarville (476 students) alongside Poplarville Lower 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 Poplarville Lower Elementary School compares
Poplarville Lower 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 | 68.5% | ▼ 15% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 521 | top 34% | - | - |
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.
521
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
33.0%
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
$10,227
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
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 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 81.2%
African American 10.0%
Two or More 6.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.6, Poplarville Lower 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 Poplarville Separate School Dist, which includes Poplarville Lower Elementary School.
$10,227
Per student
-15%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 45.8%
Federal 25.3%
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 Poplarville Lower Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poplarville Jr Sr High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Middle School of Poplarville | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Poplarville Upper Elementary Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Poplarville Lower Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 540
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~521 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Poplarville Lower Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Poplarville Lower Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Poplarville Separate 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 Poplarville Lower Elementary School
How many students attend Poplarville Lower Elementary School?
Poplarville Lower Elementary School has 521 students enrolled. It is a public school in Poplarville, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poplarville Lower Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Poplarville Lower 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 Poplarville Lower Elementary School?
68.5% of students at Poplarville Lower Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poplarville Lower Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Poplarville Lower Elementary School is White at 81.2% of enrollment, in Poplarville, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poplarville Lower Elementary School?
Poplarville Lower Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Poplarville Lower Elementary School rank among public schools in Poplarville?
By Resource Investment Index, Poplarville Lower Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Poplarville, 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 Poplarville on the city page.
Is Poplarville Lower Elementary School a good school?
Poplarville Lower Elementary School earns 44/100 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 Poplarville Separate School Dist?
Besides Poplarville Lower Elementary School, Poplarville Separate School Dist also operates Poplarville Jr Sr High School (540 students), Middle School of Poplarville (476 students), and Poplarville Upper Elementary Sch (432 students). See the Poplarville Separate 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.