Enrollment
227
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 280219000413
Smith Elementary School — Jackson, MS
Federal NCES profile for Smith Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 3
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Jackson Public School District · Mississippi
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smith Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Smith Elementary School reports 227 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% below the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the Mississippi average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 227 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jackson Public School District spends $14,275 per pupil district-wide, above the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.7% from local sources (property taxes), 39.7% from the state, and 24.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Smith Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Mississippi state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.9:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 227 | top 12% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 24% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
38.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,275
per pupil, district-wide
— above Mississippi avg of $13,402
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 227 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 227 Top 12% in Mississippi — larger than 88% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +24% vs state
NCES ID 280219000413
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 227:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.8%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson Public School District, which includes Smith Elementary School.
$14,275
Per student
+7%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 39.7%
Federal 24.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,259
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,139
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 994
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 975
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 895
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
Similar other schools in Jackson
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Pecan Park Elementary School
Standard public school
510 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
John Hopkins Elementary School
Standard public school
497 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Walton Elementary School
Standard public school
457 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Johnson Elementary School
Standard public school
444 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Wilkins Elementary School
Standard public school
434 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Mcwillie Elementary School
Standard public school
414 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Smith Elementary School
How many students attend Smith Elementary School?
Smith Elementary School has 227 students enrolled. It is a other school in JACKSON, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smith Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smith Elementary School is 11.9:1, which is 11% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Smith Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Smith Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smith Elementary School?
Smith Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.