Enrollment
398
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Water Valley, MS
Water Valley High School
Federal NCES profile for Water Valley High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280450000845
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Water Valley High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 67.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 398
- students enrolled
Water Valley High School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Water Valley School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280450000845 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.9%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Water Valley High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Water Valley High School
Water Valley High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Water Valley, Mississippi, enrolling 398 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 67.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 398 students, its enrollment sits close to the Mississippi median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Among 145 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #129, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Two or More (62%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 398 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 27.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 159 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 398 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Water Valley's public schools, it stands alongside Davidson Elementary School (599 students): Water Valley High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.4:1 vs 14.6:1).
Its district, Water Valley School District, also runs Davidson Elementary School (599 students).
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 Water Valley High School compares
Water Valley 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.9% | ▼ 16% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 398 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
398
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 22% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$9,966
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 398 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
130
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 32.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Two or More 62.1%
African American 21.9%
White 13.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Two or More at 62.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.8, Water Valley High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Water Valley School District, which includes Water Valley High School.
$9,966
Per student
-17%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.7%
State 50.3%
Federal 27.1%
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 Water Valley High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Water Valley High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 599
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools in Water Valley
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~398 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Water Valley High School's federal record.
- Compare Water Valley High School against another school. Compare schools
- Water Valley 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 Water Valley High School
How many students attend Water Valley High School?
Water Valley High School has 398 students enrolled. It is a public school in Water Valley, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Water Valley High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Water Valley High School is 11.4:1, which is 14% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 27% 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 Water Valley High School?
67.9% of students at Water Valley High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Water Valley High School?
The largest demographic group at Water Valley High School is Two or More at 62.1% of enrollment, in Water Valley, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Water Valley High School?
Water Valley High School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Water Valley High School a good school?
Water Valley High School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 78% of 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 Water Valley School District?
Besides Water Valley High School, Water Valley School District also operates Davidson Elementary School (599 students). See the Water Valley 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.