Enrollment
320
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 280363000632
South Side Lower Elementary School — Picayune, MS
Federal NCES profile for South Side Lower Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 42
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: Picayune 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Side Lower 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
South Side Lower Elementary School reports 320 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 6% higher, 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. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Picayune School District spends $12,313 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.2% from local sources (property taxes), 38.7% from the state, and 34.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Side Lower 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 | 16.8:1 | ▲ 25% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 320 | top 30% | — | — |
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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 93% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.1%
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
$12,313
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 320 Top 30% in Mississippi — larger than 70% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +24% vs state
NCES ID 280363000632
Student demographics
White 57.5%
African American 31.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
Two or More 3.8%
Largest group: White at 57.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.1%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Picayune School District, which includes South Side Lower Elementary School.
$12,313
Per student
-8%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.2%
State 38.7%
Federal 34.0%
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
- 940
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 444
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 324
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
Similar other schools in Picayune
3 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 Side Lower Elementary School
How many students attend South Side Lower Elementary School?
South Side Lower Elementary School has 320 students enrolled. It is a other school in Picayune, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Side Lower Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Side Lower Elementary School is 16.8:1, which is 25% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Side Lower Elementary School?
100.0% of students at South Side Lower Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Side Lower Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at South Side Lower Elementary School is White at 57.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Picayune, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Side Lower Elementary School?
South Side Lower Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.