Enrollment
1,216
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 280177001347
West Harrison High School — Gulfport, MS
Federal NCES profile for West Harrison High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 29
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 37
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: Harrison Co 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)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 13.4:1 Mississippi avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.8%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Harrison High 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
West Harrison High School reports 1,216 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 63.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 33% 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 12% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 60.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% below the Mississippi average and 17% above the national baseline. The school offers 3 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 405 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harrison Co School Dist spends $11,892 per pupil district-wide, below the Mississippi average of $13,402 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.5% from local sources (property taxes), 45.3% from the state, and 18.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 West Harrison High 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 33% | 13.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.8% | ▼ 24% | 80.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,216 | top 96% | — | — |
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
60.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
— 33% above state mean
Top 97% in Mississippi — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.3%
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
$11,892
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 405 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
99
in-school suspensions + 108 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 15 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,216 Top 96% in Mississippi — larger than 4% of 877 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 63.0
Students per teacher 17.8:1 +33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 60.8% -24% vs state
NCES ID 280177001347
Student demographics
White 54.4%
African American 35.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Asian 1.6%
Two or More 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 54.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 405:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.3%
In-school suspensions 99
Out-of-school suspensions 108
Expulsions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harrison Co School Dist, which includes West Harrison High School.
$11,892
Per student
-11%
vs Mississippi
Avg $13,402
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.5%
State 45.3%
Federal 18.2%
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
- 1,483
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,478
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 921
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 851
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar high schools in Gulfport
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 West Harrison High School
How many students attend West Harrison High School?
West Harrison High School has 1,216 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gulfport, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Harrison High School?
The student-teacher ratio at West Harrison High School is 17.8:1, which is 33% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.4:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Harrison High School?
60.8% of students at West Harrison High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Harrison High School?
The largest demographic group at West Harrison High School is White at 54.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gulfport, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Harrison High School?
West Harrison High School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.