Enrollment
271
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ruleville, MS
Ruleville Central Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Ruleville Central Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280018701428
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 33
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ruleville Central Elem School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Ruleville · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.6:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ruleville Central Elem School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ruleville Central Elem School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ruleville, MS.
School address
District: Sunflower Cty Cons School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280018701428 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ruleville Central Elem School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ruleville Central Elem School
Ruleville Central Elem School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Ruleville, Mississippi, enrolling 271 students.
At 13.6:1, 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.
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 271 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 252 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #77.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 271 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 29.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Sunflower Cty Cons School District also operates Gentry High School (465 students) and Lockard Elementary School (393 students) alongside Ruleville Central Elem 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 Ruleville Central Elem School compares
Ruleville Central Elem 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 | 13.6:1 | ▲ 2% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 271 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
271
Bigger than 28% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 56% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
26.9%
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
$13,004
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 271 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.8 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 95.6%
White 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
Two or More 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 95.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.5, Ruleville Central Elem School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sunflower Cty Cons School District, which includes Ruleville Central Elem School.
$13,004
Per student
+8%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 40.8%
Federal 29.0%
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 Ruleville Central Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gentry High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lockard Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert L Merritt Junior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carver Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ruleville Central Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 250
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~271 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ruleville Central Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Ruleville Central Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Sunflower Cty Cons 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 Ruleville Central Elem School
How many students attend Ruleville Central Elem School?
Ruleville Central Elem School has 271 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ruleville, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ruleville Central Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ruleville Central Elem School is 13.6:1, which is 2% 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 Ruleville Central Elem School?
100.0% of students at Ruleville Central Elem School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ruleville Central Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Ruleville Central Elem School is African American at 95.6% of enrollment, in Ruleville, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ruleville Central Elem School?
Ruleville Central Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Ruleville Central Elem School rank among public schools in Ruleville?
By Resource Investment Index, Ruleville Central Elem School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ruleville, 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 Ruleville on the city page.
Is Ruleville Central Elem School a good school?
Ruleville Central Elem School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. 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 Sunflower Cty Cons School District?
Besides Ruleville Central Elem School, Sunflower Cty Cons School District also operates Gentry High School (465 students), Lockard Elementary School (393 students), and Robert L Merritt Junior High School (341 students). See the Sunflower Cty Cons 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.