Enrollment
367
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Meridian, MS
Southeast Lauderdale High School
Federal NCES profile for Southeast Lauderdale High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280243000470
👥 S:T ratio 49
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southeast Lauderdale High School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Meridian · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 51.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Southeast Lauderdale High School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southeast Lauderdale High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Meridian, MS.
School address
District: Lauderdale Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280243000470 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southeast Lauderdale High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southeast Lauderdale High School
Southeast Lauderdale High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Meridian, Mississippi, enrolling 367 students.
At 12.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Mississippi median, within a few percentage points of the 13.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 51.0% free-meal eligibility runs 37% below the Mississippi average.
With 367 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 67 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #59, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and African American (37%) (diversity index 54/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 367 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 56.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 118 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 367 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 10 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Meridian's high schools, it stands alongside Meridian High School (1,253 students): Southeast Lauderdale High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.7:1 vs 13.8:1).
Lauderdale Co School Dist also operates West Lauderdale Elementary School (761 students) and Northeast Lauderdale Elementary (730 students) alongside Southeast Lauderdale 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 Southeast Lauderdale High School compares
Southeast Lauderdale 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 5% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.0% | ▼ 37% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 367 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
367
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.0%
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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 41% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
56.4%
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
$10,345
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 367 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 63 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 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 56.9%
African American 36.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.6%
Two or More 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 56.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.1, Southeast Lauderdale High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lauderdale Co School Dist, which includes Southeast Lauderdale High School.
$10,345
Per student
-14%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.1%
State 50.9%
Federal 19.0%
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.
How Southeast Lauderdale High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Lauderdale Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northeast Lauderdale Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northeast Lauderdale High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southeast Lauderdale Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Lauderdale Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southeast Lauderdale High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 761
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 730
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 608
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 537
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high schools in Meridian
2 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 (~367 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southeast Lauderdale High School's federal record.
- Compare Southeast Lauderdale High School against another school. Compare schools
- Lauderdale 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 Southeast Lauderdale High School
How many students attend Southeast Lauderdale High School?
Southeast Lauderdale High School has 367 students enrolled. It is a high school in Meridian, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southeast Lauderdale High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southeast Lauderdale High School is 12.7:1, which is 5% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 19% 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 Southeast Lauderdale High School?
51.0% of students at Southeast Lauderdale High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southeast Lauderdale High School?
The largest demographic group at Southeast Lauderdale High School is White at 56.9% of enrollment, in Meridian, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southeast Lauderdale High School?
Southeast Lauderdale High School has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (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).
How does Southeast Lauderdale High School rank among high schools in Meridian?
By Resource Investment Index, Southeast Lauderdale High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Meridian, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Meridian on the city page.
Is Southeast Lauderdale High School a good school?
Southeast Lauderdale High School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. 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 Lauderdale Co School Dist?
Besides Southeast Lauderdale High School, Lauderdale Co School Dist also operates West Lauderdale Elementary School (761 students), Northeast Lauderdale Elementary (730 students), and Northeast Lauderdale High School (608 students). See the Lauderdale 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.