W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy

Public middle school, grades 7 to 8 · Clarksdale, Mississippi

W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy in Clarksdale, Mississippi enrolled 269 students in 2024-25 with 11.4 full-time teachers, 23.6 students per teacher against the Mississippi middle-school median of 13.1. It ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 16% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 19% proficient in math in 2022-23 (Mississippi: 41.7% and 52.1%).

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method

Enrollment fell 5% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 46%

283 students in 2022-23, 281 students in 2023-24, 269 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 20.9 to 11.4.

Students enrolled at W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy by school year2022-23: 283, 2023-24: 281, 2024-25: 26901002003002022-232832023-242812024-25269
Students enrolled at W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy by school year2022-23: 283, 2023-24: 281, 2024-25: 26901002003002022-232832023-242812024-25269
Students enrolled at W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy by school year2022-23: 283, 2023-24: 281, 2024-25: 26901002003002022-232832023-242812024-25269
Students enrolled at W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy by school year2022-23: 283, 2023-24: 281, 2024-25: 26901002003002022-232832023-242812024-25269
The numbers as a table
School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2328320.913.5
2023-2428120.313.8
2024-2526911.423.6

23.6 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 98 of every 100 Mississippi middle schools

Among the 175 Mississippi middle schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 13.1; the national median for middle schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.

Students per teacher, Mississippi middle schools, 2024-25175 values from 6.4 to 44.1; This school 23.6; state median 13.1.2 more above 25.0 →510152025students per full-time teacherThis school 23.6state median 13.1U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Mississippi middle schools, 2024-25175 values from 6.4 to 44.1; This school 23.6; state median 13.1.2 more above 25.0 →510152025students per full-time teacherThis school 23.6state median 13.1U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Mississippi middle schools, 2024-25175 values from 6.4 to 44.1; This school 23.6; state median 13.1.2 more above 25.0 →510152025students per full-time teacherThis school 23.6state median 13.1U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Mississippi middle schools, 2024-25175 values from 6.4 to 44.1; This school 23.6; state median 13.1.2 more above 25.0 →510152025students per full-time teacherThis school 23.6state median 13.1U.S. 14.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).

One counselor per 376 students in 2021-22

In the 2021-22 civil rights collection W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy enrolled 376 students and had 1.0 counselor (full-time equivalent); it reported 133 out-of-school suspensions that year.

  • Advanced Placement coursesNone
  • Gifted and talented programYes
  • Counselors (FTE)1.0, one per 376 of the 376 students enrolled in 2021-22
  • Out-of-school suspensions133
  • Chronically absent42.0% (2022-23)

Who attends

55.8% of students were Black, 41.6% of two or more races, 1.5% White in 2024-25.

  1. Black55.8%
  2. Two or more races41.6%
  3. White1.5%
  4. Hispanic1.1%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.

State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23

The students tested at W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy scored proficient or above: 16% in reading in 2021-22 and 19% in math in 2022-23, against 41.7% in reading in 2021-22 and 52.1% in math in 2022-23 across Mississippi. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Mississippi, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22 and 2022-23
Subject and yearThis schoolIts districtMississippi
Reading and language arts, 2021-2216%16%41.7%
Math, 2022-2319%15% (2021-22)52.1%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Middle schools in Clarksdale

2 public middle schools in Clarksdale report 2024-25 enrollment; W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy is the largest.

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunch
W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy26923.697.0%
Oakhurst Intermediate Academy19716.196.4%

All public schools in Clarksdale →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.

What to look at next about W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy

  1. Oakhurst Intermediate AcademyThe nearest public middle school, 1.4 miles away: 197 students, 16.1 per teacher (2024-25).1.4 mi
  2. Quitman County Middle SchoolThe next nearest public middle school, 16 miles away: 265 students, 25.9 per teacher (2024-25).16 mi
  3. Compare W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy with Oakhurst Intermediate AcademyStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
  4. How much Clarksdale Municipal School District spends per student$14,773 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$14,773
  5. The largest public schools in MississippiW.a. Higgins Middle School Academy is the number 134 by size of 176 Mississippi middle schools open in 2024-25.#134 of 176
  6. Mississippi schools by students per teacher23.6 students per teacher here against the Mississippi median of 13.1 for middle schools.23.6:1
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.

Questions about W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy

  1. How many students attend W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy?
    269 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 283 in 2022-23. It is a middle school in Clarksdale, MS.
  2. What is the student-teacher ratio at W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy?
    23.6 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Mississippi median for middle schools is 13.1. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
  3. Is W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy a Title I school?
    W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.
  4. How do students at W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy do on state tests?
    The students tested at W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy scored proficient or above: 16% in reading in 2021-22 and 19% in math in 2022-23, against 41.7% in reading in 2021-22 and 52.1% in math in 2022-23 across Mississippi. Mississippi's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.
  5. What district is W.a. Higgins Middle School Academy in?
    Clarksdale Municipal School District, NCES district ID 2801050. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 280105000119 are the district's.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22

District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.

Compiled from official source data by .