Enrollment
124
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Canton, MS
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Shirley D. Simmons Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 67/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 280279000989
👥 S:T ratio 74
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 75
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Mississippi.
- #1 of 3
- middle schools in Canton · Resource Index
- 67
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.5:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 96.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School has class sizes smaller than 99% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shirley D. Simmons Middle School ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Canton, MS.
School address
District: Madison Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280279000989 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.5:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.6%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shirley D. Simmons Middle School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shirley D. Simmons Middle School
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is a high-poverty, small middle school in Canton, Mississippi, enrolling 124 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.5:1, Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is leaner than roughly 99% of Mississippi schools and 51% under the state's 13.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 96.6% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 97% of Mississippi schools, with 124 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 34 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #5.
Its student body is predominantly African American (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 124 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 73 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 124 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Canton's middle schools, it stands alongside Nichols Middle School (362 students): Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (6.5:1 vs 14.5:1).
Madison Co School Dist also operates Germantown High School (1,411 students) and Madison Central High School (1,260 students) alongside Shirley D. Simmons Middle 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 Shirley D. Simmons Middle School compares
Shirley D. Simmons Middle 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 | 6.5:1 | ▼ 51% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.6% | ▲ 20% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 124 | top 97% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.5:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
124
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
6.5:1
students per teacher
- 51% below state mean
Top 1% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$11,127
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 124 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 73 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 58.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 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 97.6%
Two or More 1.6%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 97.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.7, Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison Co School Dist, which includes Shirley D. Simmons Middle School.
$11,127
Per student
-7%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.5%
State 40.6%
Federal 10.9%
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 Shirley D. Simmons Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madison Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Germantown Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ridgeland High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shirley D. Simmons Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,411
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,260
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,180
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,008
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 995
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar middle schools in Canton
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~124 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shirley D. Simmons Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Shirley D. Simmons Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Madison Co 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 Shirley D. Simmons Middle School
How many students attend Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School has 124 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Canton, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is 6.5:1, which is 51% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 59% 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 Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?
96.6% of students at Shirley D. Simmons Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Shirley D. Simmons Middle School is African American at 97.6% of enrollment, in Canton, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shirley D. Simmons Middle School?
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (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 Shirley D. Simmons Middle School rank among middle schools in Canton?
By Resource Investment Index, Shirley D. Simmons Middle School ranks #1 of 3 middle schools in Canton, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Canton on the city page.
Is Shirley D. Simmons Middle School a good school?
Shirley D. Simmons Middle School earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Mississippi. 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 Madison Co School Dist?
Besides Shirley D. Simmons Middle School, Madison Co School Dist also operates Germantown High School (1,411 students), Madison Central High School (1,260 students), and Madison Middle School (1,180 students). See the Madison Co 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.