Enrollment
2,123
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Tupelo, MS
Tupelo High School
Federal NCES profile for Tupelo High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280432000819
👥 S:T ratio 35
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tupelo High School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi.
- #9 of 12
- public schools in Tupelo · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 56.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Tupelo High School has class sizes larger than 89% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tupelo High School ranks #9 of 12 public schools in Tupelo, MS.
School address
District: Tupelo Public School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280432000819 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
131.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.7%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tupelo High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tupelo High School
Tupelo High School is a higher-need, large high school in Tupelo, Mississippi, enrolling 2,123 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.2:1 is larger than about 89% of Mississippi schools and 22% above the 13.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 56.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Mississippi, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,123 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 16 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #6.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and White (33%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 62/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 22 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Its district draws 18.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 574 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 2,123 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Tupelo Public School Dist also operates Tupelo Middle School (1,070 students) and Lawhon Elementary School (575 students) alongside Tupelo 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 Tupelo High School compares
Tupelo 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 | 16.2:1 | ▲ 22% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.7% | ▼ 30% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,123 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
2,123
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 89% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$11,682
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
314
in-school suspensions + 260 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 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 50.6%
White 32.8%
Hispanic or Latino 11.4%
Two or More 3.2%
Asian 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 50.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.2, Tupelo High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tupelo Public School Dist, which includes Tupelo High School.
$11,682
Per student
-3%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.5%
State 38.9%
Federal 18.6%
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 Tupelo High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tupelo Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lawhon Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Milam Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Joyner Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parkway Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tupelo High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 444
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~2,123 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tupelo High School's federal record.
- Compare Tupelo High School against another school. Compare schools
- Tupelo Public 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 Tupelo High School
How many students attend Tupelo High School?
Tupelo High School has 2,123 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tupelo, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tupelo High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tupelo High School is 16.2:1, which is 22% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tupelo High School?
56.7% of students at Tupelo High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tupelo High School?
The largest demographic group at Tupelo High School is African American at 50.6% of enrollment, in Tupelo, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tupelo High School?
Tupelo High School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Tupelo High School rank among public schools in Tupelo?
By Resource Investment Index, Tupelo High School ranks #9 of 12 public schools in Tupelo, 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 Tupelo on the city page.
Is Tupelo High School a good school?
Tupelo High School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Mississippi schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Mississippi. 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 Tupelo Public School Dist?
Besides Tupelo High School, Tupelo Public School Dist also operates Tupelo Middle School (1,070 students), Lawhon Elementary School (575 students), and Milam Elementary School (456 students). See the Tupelo Public 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.