Enrollment
1,373
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Parkersburg, WV
Parkersburg South High School
Federal NCES profile for Parkersburg South High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 540162001171
👥 S:T ratio 38
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Parkersburg South High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of West Virginia schools. It is also one of the largest schools in West Virginia.
- #10 of 16
- public schools in Parkersburg · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- large classes for West Virginia
- 1,373
- students enrolled
Parkersburg South High School has class sizes larger than 82% of West Virginia schools. Computed live against every West Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Parkersburg South High School ranks #10 of 16 public schools in Parkersburg, WV.
School address
District: Wood County Schools · West Virginia
NCES ID 540162001171 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
88.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 13.1:1 West Virginia avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Parkersburg South High School compares with West Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Parkersburg South High School
Parkersburg South High School is a large high school in Parkersburg, West Virginia, enrolling 1,373 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of West Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in West Virginia, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,373 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 643 scored West Virginia schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 12/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 275 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Wood County Schools also operates Parkersburg High School (1,491 students) and Williamstown High School (676 students) alongside Parkersburg South High 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 Parkersburg South High School compares
Parkersburg South High School on the metrics families compare, against West Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.6:1 | ▲ 19% | 13.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,373 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,373
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% above state mean
Top 82% in West Virginia - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
37.9%
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
$12,407
per pupil, district-wide
- below West Virginia avg of $14,844
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 275 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
141
in-school suspensions + 105 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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
White 93.6%
Two or More 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 93.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.3, Parkersburg South High School is less mixed than the West Virginia school average of 17.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wood County Schools, which includes Parkersburg South High School.
$12,407
Per student
-16%
vs West Virginia
Avg $14,844
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.1%
State 52.8%
Federal 16.0%
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.
How Parkersburg South High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkersburg High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Williamstown High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Edison Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Williamstown Elementary School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blennerhassett Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Parkersburg South High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,491
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 676
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of West Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,373 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Parkersburg South High School's federal record.
- Compare Parkersburg South High School against another school. Compare schools
- Wood County Schools'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 Parkersburg South High School
How many students attend Parkersburg South High School?
Parkersburg South High School has 1,373 students enrolled. It is a high school in Parkersburg, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Parkersburg South High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Parkersburg South High School is 15.6:1, which is 19% higher than the West Virginia average of 13.1:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Parkersburg South High School?
The largest demographic group at Parkersburg South High School is White at 93.6% of enrollment, in Parkersburg, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Parkersburg South High School?
Parkersburg South High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Parkersburg South High School rank among public schools in Parkersburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Parkersburg South High School ranks #10 of 16 public schools in Parkersburg, WV. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Parkersburg on the city page.
Is Parkersburg South High School a good school?
Parkersburg South High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of West Virginia schools. It is also one of the largest schools in West Virginia. 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 Wood County Schools?
Besides Parkersburg South High School, Wood County Schools also operates Parkersburg High School (1,491 students), Williamstown High School (676 students), and Edison Middle School (551 students). See the Wood County Schools 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.