Enrollment
1,373
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 540162001171
Parkersburg South High School — Parkersburg, WV
Federal NCES profile for Parkersburg South High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 5
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: Wood County Schools · West Virginia
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)
88.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 13.7:1 West Virginia avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Parkersburg South High School compares with West Virginia 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
Parkersburg South High School reports 1,373 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 88.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% above the West Virginia state mean of 13.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 2 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 275 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wood County Schools spends $13,290 per pupil district-wide, below the West Virginia average of $16,253 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.1% from local sources (property taxes), 52.8% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), 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 Parkersburg South High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against West Virginia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 20% | 13.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,373 | top 98% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 87% in West Virginia — lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.9%
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
$13,290
per pupil, district-wide
— below West Virginia avg of $16,253
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 1,373 Top 98% in West Virginia — larger than 2% of 648 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 88.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 540162001171
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 275:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.9%
In-school suspensions 141
Out-of-school suspensions 105
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wood County Schools, which includes Parkersburg South High School.
$13,290
Per student
-18%
vs West Virginia
Avg $16,253
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,491
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 676
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 545
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar high schools in Parkersburg
1 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 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 16.5:1, which is 20% higher than the West Virginia average of 13.7:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in PARKERSBURG, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Parkersburg South High School?
Parkersburg South High School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) 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.