Enrollment
480
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bay St. Louis, MS
South Hancock Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for South Hancock Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280174000280
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Hancock Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools.
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 60.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 480
- students enrolled
South Hancock Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Hancock Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280174000280 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.2%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Hancock Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Hancock Elementary School
South Hancock Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, enrolling 480 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.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 60.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 480 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 163 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #107.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and African American (18%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 480 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 145 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 480 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Hancock Co School Dist also operates Hancock High School (1,184 students) and Hancock Middle School (884 students) alongside South Hancock 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 South Hancock Elementary School compares
South Hancock 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.2% | ▼ 25% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 480 | top 39% | - | - |
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.
480
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% below 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
33.1%
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
$10,539
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 480 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
73
in-school suspensions + 72 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.2 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
White 64.4%
African American 18.1%
Two or More 9.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 64.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.0, South Hancock Elementary School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hancock Co School Dist, which includes South Hancock Elementary School.
$10,539
Per student
-12%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.4%
State 43.7%
Federal 19.8%
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 South Hancock Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hancock Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Hancock Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hancock North Central Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Hancock Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Hancock Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,184
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 884
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 349
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~480 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Hancock Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare South Hancock Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Hancock 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 South Hancock Elementary School
How many students attend South Hancock Elementary School?
South Hancock Elementary School has 480 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bay St. Louis, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Hancock Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Hancock Elementary 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 South Hancock Elementary School?
60.2% of students at South Hancock Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Hancock Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at South Hancock Elementary School is White at 64.4% of enrollment, in Bay St. Louis, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Hancock Elementary School?
South Hancock Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 South Hancock Elementary School a good school?
South Hancock Elementary School earns 36/100 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 Hancock Co School Dist?
Besides South Hancock Elementary School, Hancock Co School Dist also operates Hancock High School (1,184 students), Hancock Middle School (884 students), and East Hancock Elementary School (633 students). See the Hancock 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.