Enrollment
1,070
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 280432000293
Tupelo Middle School — Tupelo, MS
Federal NCES profile for Tupelo Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 19/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Tupelo Public School Dist · 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)
79.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tupelo Middle 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
Tupelo Middle School reports 1,070 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 79.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the Mississippi average and 20% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 535 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 42.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tupelo Public School Dist spends $13,039 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.5% from local sources (property taxes), 38.9% from the state, and 18.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Tupelo Middle 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 | 13.7:1 | ▲ 2% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.4% | ▼ 22% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,070 | top 94% | — | — |
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
62.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 56% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
42.8%
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
$13,039
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 535 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
188
in-school suspensions + 278 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,070 Top 94% in Mississippi — larger than 6% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 79.0
Students per teacher 13.7:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.4% -22% vs state
NCES ID 280432000293
Student demographics
African American 52.8%
White 32.1%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
Asian 3.2%
Two or More 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 52.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 535:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 42.8%
In-school suspensions 188
Out-of-school suspensions 278
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tupelo Public School Dist, which includes Tupelo Middle School.
$13,039
Per student
-3%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,123
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 444
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
Similar middle schools in Tupelo
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Tupelo Middle School
How many students attend Tupelo Middle School?
Tupelo Middle School has 1,070 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Tupelo, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tupelo Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tupelo Middle School is 13.7:1, which is 2% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tupelo Middle School?
62.4% of students at Tupelo Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tupelo Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Tupelo Middle School is African American at 52.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tupelo, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tupelo Middle School?
Tupelo Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.