Enrollment
338
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Jackson, MS
Whitten Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Whitten Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 280219000421
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whitten Middle School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median.
- #5 of 8
- middle schools in Jackson · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Whitten Middle School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whitten Middle School ranks #5 of 8 middle schools in Jackson, MS.
School address
District: Jackson Public School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280219000421 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whitten Middle School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whitten Middle School
Whitten Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Jackson, Mississippi, enrolling 338 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 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 338 puts it in the smaller third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 300 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #46.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 169 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 118 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 338 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 11 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Jackson's middle schools, it stands alongside Cardozo Middle School (531 students): Whitten Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (12.5:1 vs 10.6:1).
Jackson Public School District also operates Murrah High School (1,259 students) and Forest Hill High School (1,139 students) alongside Whitten Middle 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 Whitten Middle School compares
Whitten Middle 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 338 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
338
Bigger than 38% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 38% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.0%
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
$12,155
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 169 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 113 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson Public School District, which includes Whitten Middle School.
$12,155
Per student
+1%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 39.7%
Federal 24.5%
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 Whitten Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murrah High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forest Hill High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Callaway High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jim Hill High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lanier High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Whitten Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,259
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,139
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 994
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 975
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 895
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar middle schools in Jackson
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~338 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whitten Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Whitten Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Jackson Public 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 Whitten Middle School
How many students attend Whitten Middle School?
Whitten Middle School has 338 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Jackson, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitten Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whitten Middle School is 12.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 20% 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 Whitten Middle School?
100.0% of students at Whitten Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitten Middle School?
Whitten Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Whitten Middle School rank among middle schools in Jackson?
By Resource Investment Index, Whitten Middle School ranks #5 of 8 middle schools in Jackson, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Jackson on the city page.
Is Whitten Middle School a good school?
Whitten Middle School earns 53/100 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 Jackson Public School District?
Besides Whitten Middle School, Jackson Public School District also operates Murrah High School (1,259 students), Forest Hill High School (1,139 students), and Callaway High School (994 students). See the Jackson Public 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.