Enrollment
775
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waynesboro, MS
Wayne County High School
Federal NCES profile for Wayne County High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 280453000850
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wayne County High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Waynesboro · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.1:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Wayne County High School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Wayne County High School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Waynesboro, MS.
School address
District: Wayne Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280453000850 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wayne County High School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wayne County High School
Wayne County High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Waynesboro, Mississippi, enrolling 775 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the Mississippi typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 775 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 92 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #45.
Its student body is led by African American (53%) and White (40%) (diversity index 55/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 258 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 36.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 210 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 775 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 27 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Wayne Co School Dist also operates Waynesboro Riverview Ele School (491 students) and Wayne Central Elementary School (459 students) alongside Wayne County 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 Wayne County High School compares
Wayne County 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 | 12.1:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 775 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
775
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% above the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 32% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.0%
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
$11,621
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 258 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 200 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 27 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 53.3%
White 40.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Two or More 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 53.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.0, Wayne County High School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wayne Co School Dist, which includes Wayne County High School.
$11,621
Per student
-3%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.8%
State 39.2%
Federal 36.1%
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 Wayne County High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waynesboro Riverview Ele School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wayne Central Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clara Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Buckatunna Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Beat Four Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wayne County High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 459
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~775 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wayne County High School's federal record.
- Compare Wayne County High School against another school. Compare schools
- Wayne Co 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 Wayne County High School
How many students attend Wayne County High School?
Wayne County High School has 775 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waynesboro, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wayne County High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Wayne County High School is 12.1:1, which is 9% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 23% 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 Wayne County High School?
100.0% of students at Wayne County High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wayne County High School?
The largest demographic group at Wayne County High School is African American at 53.3% of enrollment, in Waynesboro, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wayne County High School?
Wayne County High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Wayne County High School rank among public schools in Waynesboro?
By Resource Investment Index, Wayne County High School ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Waynesboro, 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 Waynesboro on the city page.
Is Wayne County High School a good school?
Wayne County High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. 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 Wayne Co School Dist?
Besides Wayne County High School, Wayne Co School Dist also operates Waynesboro Riverview Ele School (491 students), Wayne Central Elementary School (459 students), and Clara Elementary School (418 students). See the Wayne Co 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.