Enrollment
286
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 280438001327
Union Middle School — Union, MS
Federal NCES profile for Union Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 47
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: Union 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.3%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union 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
Union Middle School reports 286 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 63.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% below the Mississippi average and 22% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 286 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Union Public School Dist spends $11,988 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.4% from local sources (property taxes), 56.4% from the state, and 28.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Union 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 | 13.9:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.3% | ▼ 21% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 286 | top 24% | — | — |
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
63.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 60% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.3%
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
$11,988
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 286 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
41
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 286 Top 24% in Mississippi — larger than 76% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 63.3% -21% vs state
NCES ID 280438001327
Student demographics
White 73.8%
African American 21.7%
Two or More 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Largest group: White at 73.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 286:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.3%
In-school suspensions 41
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Public School Dist, which includes Union Middle School.
$11,988
Per student
-11%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.4%
State 56.4%
Federal 28.2%
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
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
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 Union Middle School
How many students attend Union Middle School?
Union Middle School has 286 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in UNION, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Middle School is 13.9:1, which is 4% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Union Middle School?
63.3% of students at Union Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Union Middle School is White at 73.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in UNION, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Middle School?
Union Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.