Enrollment
290
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbus, MS
Sale Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sale Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280120000164
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sale Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Mississippi schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #6 of 8
- schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Sale Elementary School has class sizes larger than 71% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sale Elementary School ranks #6 of 8 schools in Columbus, MS.
School address
District: Columbus Municipal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280120000164 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sale Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sale Elementary School
Sale Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbus, Mississippi, enrolling 290 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the larger 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 290 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 271 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #115.
Its student body is predominantly African American (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 122 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 290 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Columbus Municipal School Dist also operates Columbus High School (865 students) and Columbus Middle School (597 students) alongside Sale 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 Sale Elementary School compares
Sale 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 | 14.5:1 | ▲ 9% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 290 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
290
Bigger than 31% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 71% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.7%
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
$12,239
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 290 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
46
in-school suspensions + 76 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 42.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 93.4%
White 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Two or More 2.1%
Largest group: African American at 93.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.6, Sale 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 Columbus Municipal School Dist, which includes Sale Elementary School.
$12,239
Per student
+2%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.6%
State 38.2%
Federal 28.1%
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 Sale Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbus Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cook Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Stokes Beard Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fairview Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sale Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 369
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 244
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~290 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sale Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sale Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbus Municipal 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 Sale Elementary School
How many students attend Sale Elementary School?
Sale Elementary School has 290 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbus, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sale Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sale Elementary School is 14.5:1, which is 9% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sale Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Sale Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sale Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sale Elementary School is African American at 93.4% of enrollment, in Columbus, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sale Elementary School?
Sale Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
How does Sale Elementary School rank among schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, Sale Elementary School ranks #6 of 8 schools in Columbus, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbus on the city page.
Is Sale Elementary School a good school?
Sale Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% 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 Columbus Municipal School Dist?
Besides Sale Elementary School, Columbus Municipal School Dist also operates Columbus High School (865 students), Columbus Middle School (597 students), and Cook Elementary School (415 students). See the Columbus Municipal 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.