Enrollment
276
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbus, MS
West Lowndes Elementary
Federal NCES profile for West Lowndes Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 280273001177
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
West Lowndes Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Mississippi schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- #1 of 8
- schools in Columbus · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.2:1
- small classes for Mississippi
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
West Lowndes Elementary has class sizes smaller than 89% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, West Lowndes Elementary ranks #1 of 8 schools in Columbus, MS.
School address
District: Lowndes Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280273001177 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Lowndes Elementary compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at West Lowndes Elementary
West Lowndes Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbus, Mississippi, enrolling 276 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.2:1, West Lowndes Elementary is leaner than roughly 89% of Mississippi schools and 23% under the state's 13.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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 276 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 90% of the 877 Mississippi schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 257 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Mississippi schools statewide, it ranks #24, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 276 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lowndes Co School Dist also operates New Hope Elementary School (1,191 students) and Caledonia Elementary School (1,070 students) alongside West Lowndes Elementary.
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 West Lowndes Elementary compares
West Lowndes Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.2:1 | ▼ 23% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 276 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
276
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 11% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.3%
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
$10,038
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 276 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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
African American 97.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
White 1.1%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 97.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.7, West Lowndes Elementary is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lowndes Co School Dist, which includes West Lowndes Elementary.
$10,038
Per student
-16%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.4%
State 39.5%
Federal 16.2%
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.
How West Lowndes Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hope Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caledonia Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Hope High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Caledonia High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Hope Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to West Lowndes Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,191
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 787
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 640
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~276 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on West Lowndes Elementary's federal record.
- Compare West Lowndes Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lowndes 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 West Lowndes Elementary
How many students attend West Lowndes Elementary?
West Lowndes Elementary has 276 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbus, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Lowndes Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at West Lowndes Elementary is 10.2:1, which is 23% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 35% 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 West Lowndes Elementary?
100.0% of students at West Lowndes Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Lowndes Elementary?
The largest demographic group at West Lowndes Elementary is African American at 97.1% of enrollment, in Columbus, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Lowndes Elementary?
West Lowndes Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does West Lowndes Elementary rank among schools in Columbus?
By Resource Investment Index, West Lowndes Elementary ranks #1 of 8 schools in Columbus, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Columbus on the city page.
Is West Lowndes Elementary a good school?
West Lowndes Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Mississippi schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Lowndes Co School Dist?
Besides West Lowndes Elementary, Lowndes Co School Dist also operates New Hope Elementary School (1,191 students), Caledonia Elementary School (1,070 students), and New Hope High School (787 students). See the Lowndes 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.