Enrollment
1,822
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450387001149
Northwestern High — Rock Hill, SC
Federal NCES profile for Northwestern High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 35
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 38
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: York 03 · South Carolina
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)
109.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwestern High compares with South Carolina 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
Northwestern High reports 1,822 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 109.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the South Carolina average and 11% below the national baseline. The school offers 9 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 202 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding York 03 spends $14,454 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.7% from local sources (property taxes), 47.3% from the state, and 13.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Northwestern High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 14% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 37% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,822 | top 97% | — | — |
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
46.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 80% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.0%
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
$14,454
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 202 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
554
in-school suspensions + 214 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 30.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 42.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 14 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,822 Top 97% in South Carolina — larger than 3% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 109.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.3% -37% vs state
NCES ID 450387001149
Student demographics
African American 41.9%
White 36.9%
Hispanic or Latino 14.5%
Two or More 4.9%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 41.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 9
Counselors (FTE) 9.0
Students per counselor 202:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.0%
In-school suspensions 554
Out-of-school suspensions 214
Expulsions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for York 03, which includes Northwestern High.
$14,454
Per student
-16%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 47.3%
Federal 13.0%
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
- 1,980
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,128
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 856
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Similar high schools in Rock Hill
3 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 Northwestern High
How many students attend Northwestern High?
Northwestern High has 1,822 students enrolled. It is a high school in Rock Hill, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwestern High?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwestern High is 16.3:1, which is 14% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northwestern High?
46.3% of students at Northwestern High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwestern High?
The largest demographic group at Northwestern High is African American at 41.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Rock Hill, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwestern High?
Northwestern High has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.