Enrollment
532
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Pascagoula, MS
William M Colmer Middle School
Federal NCES profile for William M Colmer Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 280348000671
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
William M Colmer Middle School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Mississippi schools.
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 532
- students enrolled
William M Colmer Middle School has class sizes near the Mississippi median. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Pascagoula-Gautier School District · Mississippi
NCES ID 280348000671 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How William M Colmer Middle School compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at William M Colmer Middle School
William M Colmer Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Pascagoula, Mississippi, enrolling 532 students.
At 12.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Mississippi median, within a few percentage points of the 13.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
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 532 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 221 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #137.
Its student body is led by African American (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 177 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Pascagoula-Gautier School District spends $14,596 per pupil, 22% above the Mississippi average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 399 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 532 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 42 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Pascagoula-Gautier School District also operates Pascagoula High School (1,127 students) and Gautier High School (900 students) alongside William M Colmer 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 William M Colmer Middle School compares
William M Colmer 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 5% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 532 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
532
Bigger than 66% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 41% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
44.4%
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
$14,596
per pupil, district-wide
- above Mississippi avg of $11,990
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 177 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
244
in-school suspensions + 155 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 45.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 75.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 42 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 47.0%
Hispanic or Latino 24.2%
White 23.3%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 47.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.4, William M Colmer Middle School is more mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pascagoula-Gautier School District, which includes William M Colmer Middle School.
$14,596
Per student
+22%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.1%
State 31.8%
Federal 21.1%
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 William M Colmer Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pascagoula High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gautier High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Trent Lott Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gautier Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Singing River Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to William M Colmer Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,127
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 900
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 524
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~532 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on William M Colmer Middle School's federal record.
- Compare William M Colmer Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Pascagoula-Gautier 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 William M Colmer Middle School
How many students attend William M Colmer Middle School?
William M Colmer Middle School has 532 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Pascagoula, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at William M Colmer Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at William M Colmer Middle School is 12.7:1, which is 5% lower than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 19% 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 William M Colmer Middle School?
100.0% of students at William M Colmer Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of William M Colmer Middle School?
The largest demographic group at William M Colmer Middle School is African American at 47.0% of enrollment, in Pascagoula, MS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for William M Colmer Middle School?
William M Colmer Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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).
Is William M Colmer Middle School a good school?
William M Colmer Middle School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Mississippi median. It is also more 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 Pascagoula-Gautier School District?
Besides William M Colmer Middle School, Pascagoula-Gautier School District also operates Pascagoula High School (1,127 students), Gautier High School (900 students), and Trent Lott Academy (524 students). See the Pascagoula-Gautier 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.