Enrollment
1,300
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 280228000450
South Jones High School — Ellisville, MS
Federal NCES profile for South Jones High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 29
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 →
The verdict
South Jones High School earns an F Resource Investment Index (28/100), with class sizes larger than 75% of Mississippi schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 28/100
- 14.8:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 62.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,300
- students enrolled
School address
District: Jones Co School Dist · 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)
88.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.6%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Jones High 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
South Jones High School reports 1,300 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 88.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Mississippi state mean of 13.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the Mississippi average and 21% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 433 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jones Co School Dist spends $9,887 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.7% from local sources (property taxes), 51.6% from the state, and 19.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), 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 South Jones High 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 10% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.6% | ▼ 22% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,300 | top 97% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
15 smaller classes than 51% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
1,300 larger than 95% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
62.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 75% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.3%
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
$9,887
per pupil, district-wide
— below Mississippi avg of $13,402
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 433 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
153
in-school suspensions + 156 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 21 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,300 Top 97% in Mississippi — larger than 3% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 88.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.6% -22% vs state
NCES ID 280228000450
Student demographics
White 67.3%
African American 17.8%
Hispanic or Latino 12.2%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 67.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 433:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.3%
In-school suspensions 153
Out-of-school suspensions 156
Expulsions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jones Co School Dist, which includes South Jones High School.
$9,887
Per student
-26%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-49%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.7%
State 51.6%
Federal 19.7%
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
- 1,587
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,129
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,114
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 938
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar other schools in Ellisville
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 South Jones High School
How many students attend South Jones High School?
South Jones High School has 1,300 students enrolled. It is a other school in Ellisville, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Jones High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Jones High School is 14.8:1, which is 10% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Jones High School?
62.6% of students at South Jones High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Jones High School?
The largest demographic group at South Jones High School is White at 67.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ellisville, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Jones High School?
South Jones High School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.