Enrollment
369
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbus, MS
Stokes Beard Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Stokes Beard Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280120000152
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Stokes Beard Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #8 of 8
- schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.2:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Stokes Beard Elementary School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Stokes Beard Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 schools in Columbus, MS.
School address
District: Columbus Municipal School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280120000152 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Stokes Beard Elementary School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Stokes Beard Elementary School
Stokes Beard Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbus, Mississippi, enrolling 369 students.
At 13.2:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 369 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 308 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #165.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 369 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 144 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 369 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Columbus Municipal School Dist also operates Columbus High School (865 students) and Columbus Middle School (597 students) alongside Stokes Beard 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 Stokes Beard Elementary School compares
Stokes Beard 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 | 13.2:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 369 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
369
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
13.2:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 49% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.5%
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
$12,239
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 369 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
80
in-school suspensions + 64 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
African American 95.7%
White 1.6%
Two or More 1.6%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 95.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.4, Stokes Beard Elementary School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Columbus Municipal School Dist, which includes Stokes Beard Elementary School.
$12,239
Per student
+2%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.6%
State 38.2%
Federal 28.1%
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 Stokes Beard Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Columbus Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cook Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sale Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fairview Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Stokes Beard Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 290
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 244
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~369 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Stokes Beard Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Stokes Beard Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Columbus Municipal 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 Stokes Beard Elementary School
How many students attend Stokes Beard Elementary School?
Stokes Beard Elementary School has 369 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbus, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stokes Beard Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Stokes Beard Elementary School is 13.2:1, which is 1% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 16% 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 Stokes Beard Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Stokes Beard Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stokes Beard Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Stokes Beard Elementary School is African American at 95.7% of enrollment, in Columbus, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stokes Beard Elementary School?
Stokes Beard Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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).
How does Stokes Beard Elementary School rank among schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, Stokes Beard Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 schools in Columbus, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbus on the city page.
Is Stokes Beard Elementary School a good school?
Stokes Beard Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Columbus Municipal School Dist?
Besides Stokes Beard Elementary School, Columbus Municipal School Dist also operates Columbus High School (865 students), Columbus Middle School (597 students), and Cook Elementary School (415 students). See the Columbus Municipal 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.