Enrollment
1,046
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 201137000522
Salina High South — Salina, KS
Federal NCES profile for Salina High South, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 0
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
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)
73.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.0%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salina High South compares with Kansas 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
Salina High South reports 1,046 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 73.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 2% below the Kansas average and 19% below the national baseline. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 209 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Salina spends $19,945 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.2% from local sources (property taxes), 52.9% from the state, and 13.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), 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 Salina High South compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.1:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.0% | ▼ 2% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,046 | top 96% | — | — |
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
42.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 2% below the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 72% in Kansas — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.0%
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
$19,945
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kansas avg of $17,342
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 209 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
174
in-school suspensions + 63 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,046 Top 96% in Kansas — larger than 4% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 73.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.0% -2% vs state
NCES ID 201137000522
Student demographics
White 51.4%
Hispanic or Latino 33.1%
Two or More 8.8%
Asian 4.4%
African American 2.3%
Largest group: White at 51.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 209:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.0%
In-school suspensions 174
Out-of-school suspensions 63
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salina, which includes Salina High South.
$19,945
Per student
+15%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.2%
State 52.9%
Federal 13.8%
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
- 934
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar high schools in Salina
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 Salina High South
How many students attend Salina High South?
Salina High South has 1,046 students enrolled. It is a high school in Salina, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salina High South?
The student-teacher ratio at Salina High South is 15.1:1, which is 5% higher than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salina High South?
42.0% of students at Salina High South are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salina High South?
The largest demographic group at Salina High South is White at 51.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Salina, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salina High South?
Salina High South has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) 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.