Enrollment
455
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pontotoc, MS
South Pontotoc High School
Federal NCES profile for South Pontotoc High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280366000703
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Pontotoc High School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Mississippi schools.
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.7:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 50.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 455
- students enrolled
South Pontotoc High School has class sizes larger than 74% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Pontotoc Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280366000703 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.9%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Pontotoc High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Pontotoc High School
South Pontotoc High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Pontotoc, Mississippi, enrolling 455 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 50.9% free-meal eligibility runs 37% below the Mississippi average.
With 455 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 104 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #100, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 455 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Pontotoc Co School Dist spends $9,404 per pupil, 22% below the Mississippi average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 24.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Pontotoc's high schools, it stands alongside Pontotoc High School (712 students): South Pontotoc High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.7:1 vs 15.8:1).
Pontotoc Co School Dist also operates South Pontotoc Elementary School (776 students) and North Pontotoc Elementary School (762 students) alongside South Pontotoc High 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 Pontotoc High School compares
South Pontotoc High 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 | 14.7:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.9% | ▼ 37% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 455 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
455
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 74% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
52.1%
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
$9,404
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 455 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.3 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 82.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
African American 7.5%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.4, South Pontotoc High School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pontotoc Co School Dist, which includes South Pontotoc High School.
$9,404
Per student
-22%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.6%
State 56.1%
Federal 24.4%
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 Pontotoc High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Pontotoc Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Pontotoc Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Pontotoc High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Pontotoc Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Pontotoc Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Pontotoc High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools in Pontotoc
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~455 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Pontotoc High School's federal record.
- Compare South Pontotoc High School against another school. Compare schools
- Pontotoc 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 Pontotoc High School
How many students attend South Pontotoc High School?
South Pontotoc High School has 455 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pontotoc, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Pontotoc High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Pontotoc High School is 14.7:1, which is 11% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Pontotoc High School?
50.9% of students at South Pontotoc High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Pontotoc High School?
The largest demographic group at South Pontotoc High School is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Pontotoc, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Pontotoc High School?
South Pontotoc High School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is South Pontotoc High School a good school?
South Pontotoc High School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% 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 Pontotoc Co School Dist?
Besides South Pontotoc High School, Pontotoc Co School Dist also operates South Pontotoc Elementary School (776 students), North Pontotoc Elementary School (762 students), and North Pontotoc High School (488 students). See the Pontotoc 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.