Elementary school (grades K-5) · Gulfport, MS

River Oaks Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for River Oaks 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 280177001431
0/100100/10045/100
👥 S:T ratio
39
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

River Oaks Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Mississippi schools.

#6 of 6
elementary schools in Gulfport · Resource Index
45
Resource Index · Typical
15.2:1
large classes for Mississippi
86.5%
free-lunch eligible

River Oaks Elementary School has class sizes larger than 80% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, River Oaks Elementary School ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Gulfport, MS.

Enrollment

487

Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

32.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.2:1

vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg

+14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

86.5%

vs 80.5% Mississippi avg

+7% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How River Oaks Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at River Oaks Elementary School

River Oaks Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Gulfport, Mississippi, enrolling 487 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 86.5% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 487 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.

Against 316 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #109.

Its student body is led by African American (63%) and White (22%) (diversity index 54/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 18.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Gulfport's elementary schools, it stands alongside North Gulfport Elementary and Middl (921 students): River Oaks Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.2:1 vs 12.4:1).

Harrison Co School Dist also operates Harrison Central High School (1,483 students) and Diberville Senior High Sch (1,478 students) alongside River Oaks 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 River Oaks Elementary School compares

River Oaks 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 15.2:1 ▲ 14% 13.3:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 86.5% ▲ 7% 80.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 487 top 37% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
487
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
86.5%
free-lunch eligible - 7% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher - 14% above state mean
Top 80% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.2%
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
$10,042
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.6 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 63.4%
White 22.4%
Two or More 7.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.8%
Asian 0.2%

Largest group: African American at 63.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 53.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 53.8, River Oaks 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 Harrison Co School Dist, which includes River Oaks Elementary School.

$10,042
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.5%
State 45.3%
Federal 18.2%

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 River Oaks Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Harrison Central High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Diberville Senior High Sch Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
West Harrison High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Creekbend Elementary and Middle Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
North Gulfport Elementary and Middl Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to River Oaks Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Harrison Co School Dist · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Gulfport

4 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on River Oaks Elementary School's federal record.

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 River Oaks Elementary School

How many students attend River Oaks Elementary School?

River Oaks Elementary School has 487 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Gulfport, MS.

What is the student-teacher ratio at River Oaks Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at River Oaks Elementary School is 15.2:1, which is 14% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at River Oaks Elementary School?

86.5% of students at River Oaks Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of River Oaks Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at River Oaks Elementary School is African American at 63.4% of enrollment, in Gulfport, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.8/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for River Oaks Elementary School?

River Oaks Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 River Oaks Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Gulfport?

By Resource Investment Index, River Oaks Elementary School ranks #6 of 6 elementary schools in Gulfport, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Gulfport on the city page.

Is River Oaks Elementary School a good school?

River Oaks Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of 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 Harrison Co School Dist?

Besides River Oaks Elementary School, Harrison Co School Dist also operates Harrison Central High School (1,483 students), Diberville Senior High Sch (1,478 students), and West Harrison High School (1,216 students). See the Harrison Co School Dist district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.