Enrollment
331
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Ruleville, MS
Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School
Federal NCES profile for Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280018701422
👥 S:T ratio 49
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Ruleville · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Ruleville, MS.
School address
District: Sunflower Cty Cons School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280018701422 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School
Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Ruleville, Mississippi, enrolling 331 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.
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.
Enrollment of 331 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 299 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #206.
Its student body is predominantly African American (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 331 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Its district draws 29.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 133 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 331 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Sunflower Cty Cons School District also operates Gentry High School (465 students) and Lockard Elementary School (393 students) alongside Thomas E. Edwards Sr. 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 Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School compares
Thomas E. Edwards Sr. 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 | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 331 | top 68% | - | - |
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.
331
Bigger than 37% 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
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.
Funding equity
$13,004
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 331 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 133 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.2 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
African American 91.8%
Two or More 4.5%
White 1.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
Largest group: African American at 91.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.5, Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sunflower Cty Cons School District, which includes Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School.
$13,004
Per student
+8%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.2%
State 40.8%
Federal 29.0%
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 Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gentry High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lockard Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert L Merritt Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ruleville Central Elem School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Carver Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 271
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 250
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
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 (~331 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School's federal record.
- Compare Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School against another school. Compare schools
- Sunflower Cty Cons School District'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 Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School
How many students attend Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School?
Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School has 331 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ruleville, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas E. Edwards Sr. 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 Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School?
100.0% of students at Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School?
The largest demographic group at Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School is African American at 91.8% of enrollment, in Ruleville, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School?
Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School rank among public schools in Ruleville?
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Ruleville, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ruleville on the city page.
Is Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School a good school?
Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School earns 31/100 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 Sunflower Cty Cons School District?
Besides Thomas E. Edwards Sr. High School, Sunflower Cty Cons School District also operates Gentry High School (465 students), Lockard Elementary School (393 students), and Robert L Merritt Junior High School (341 students). See the Sunflower Cty Cons School District 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.