Enrollment
251
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sumner, MS
R H Bearden Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for R H Bearden Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280465000872
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
R H Bearden Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 251
- students enrolled
R H Bearden Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: West Tallahatchie School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280465000872 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How R H Bearden Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at R H Bearden Elementary School
R H Bearden Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Sumner, Mississippi, enrolling 251 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 251 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 221 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #180, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 251 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding West Tallahatchie School District spends $16,121 per pupil, 34% above the Mississippi average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 26.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, West Tallahatchie School District, also runs West Tallahatchie High School (297 students).
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 R H Bearden Elementary School compares
R H Bearden 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 251 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
251
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% above the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 22% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.3%
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
$16,121
per pupil, district-wide
- above Mississippi avg of $11,990
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 251 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.1 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
African American 94.8%
Two or More 3.2%
White 1.2%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 94.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.0, R H Bearden Elementary School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Tallahatchie School District, which includes R H Bearden Elementary School.
$16,121
Per student
+34%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.4%
State 42.0%
Federal 26.6%
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 R H Bearden Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Tallahatchie High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to R H Bearden Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- 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 (~251 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on R H Bearden Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare R H Bearden Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- West Tallahatchie 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 R H Bearden Elementary School
How many students attend R H Bearden Elementary School?
R H Bearden Elementary School has 251 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sumner, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at R H Bearden Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at R H Bearden Elementary School is 11.4:1, which is 14% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 27% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at R H Bearden Elementary School?
100.0% of students at R H Bearden Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of R H Bearden Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at R H Bearden Elementary School is African American at 94.8% of enrollment, in Sumner, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for R H Bearden Elementary School?
R H Bearden Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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).
Is R H Bearden Elementary School a good school?
R H Bearden Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools. 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 West Tallahatchie School District?
Besides R H Bearden Elementary School, West Tallahatchie School District also operates West Tallahatchie High School (297 students). See the West Tallahatchie 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.