Enrollment
388
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pinola, MS
Simpson Central School
Federal NCES profile for Simpson Central School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280399000757
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Simpson Central School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 82.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 388
- students enrolled
Simpson Central School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Simpson Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280399000757 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Simpson Central School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Simpson Central School
Simpson Central School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Pinola, Mississippi, enrolling 388 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 82.4% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 388 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 108 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #71.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and African American (39%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 388 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Simpson Co School Dist also operates Mendenhall High School (646 students) and Mendenhall Elementary School (598 students) alongside Simpson Central 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 Simpson Central School compares
Simpson Central 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 | 82.4% | ▲ 2% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 388 | top 55% | - | - |
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.
388
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
32.5%
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
$11,064
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 388 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.9 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
White 56.4%
African American 38.7%
Two or More 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Asian 1.0%
Largest group: White at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.1, Simpson Central School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Simpson Co School Dist, which includes Simpson Central School.
$11,064
Per student
-8%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 46.1%
Federal 26.1%
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 Simpson Central School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendenhall High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mendenhall Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magee Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magee High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Magee Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Simpson Central School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 646
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 598
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 380
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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 (~388 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Simpson Central School's federal record.
- Compare Simpson Central School against another school. Compare schools
- Simpson 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 Simpson Central School
How many students attend Simpson Central School?
Simpson Central School has 388 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pinola, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Simpson Central School?
The student-teacher ratio at Simpson Central 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 Simpson Central School?
82.4% of students at Simpson Central School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Simpson Central School?
The largest demographic group at Simpson Central School is White at 56.4% of enrollment, in Pinola, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Simpson Central School?
Simpson Central School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Simpson Central School a good school?
Simpson Central School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Simpson Co School Dist?
Besides Simpson Central School, Simpson Co School Dist also operates Mendenhall High School (646 students), Mendenhall Elementary School (598 students), and Magee Elementary School (525 students). See the Simpson 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.