High school (grades 9-12) · Seward, NE

Seward High School

Federal NCES profile for Seward High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 317656001591
0/100100/10046/100
👥 S:T ratio
46
📚 AP courses
5
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
49
📋 Attendance
58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Seward High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median.

#1 of 3
public schools in Seward · Resource Index
46
Resource Index · Typical
13.4:1
students per teacher
12.6%
free-lunch eligible

Seward High School has class sizes near the Nebraska median. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Seward High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Seward, NE.

School address

Enrollment

511

Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

38.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.4:1

vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg

-1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

12.6%

vs 30.9% Nebraska avg

-59% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Seward High School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians

At or below state median
0:135:113.4:1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Seward High School

Seward High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Seward, Nebraska, enrolling 511 students.

At 13.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Nebraska median, within a few percentage points of the 13.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.6% free-meal eligibility runs 59% below the Nebraska average.

Enrollment of 511 puts it in the larger third of Nebraska schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.

Against 131 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #19.

Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 256 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

16.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Seward Public Schools spends $12,694 per pupil, 28% below the Nebraska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Seward Public Schools also operates Seward Elementary School (558 students) and Seward Middle School (416 students) alongside Seward 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 Seward High School compares

Seward High School on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Nebraska Nebraska avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 13.4:1 ▼ 1% 13.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 12.6% ▼ 59% 30.9% 51.7%
Enrollment 511 top 15% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
511
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
12.6%
free-lunch eligible - 59% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher - 1% below state mean
Top 56% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,694
per pupil, district-wide - below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 256 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

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 92.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
Two or More 2.5%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.2%

Largest group: White at 92.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 14.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 14.4, Seward High School is less mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.

Programs

AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Seward Public Schools, which includes Seward High School.

$12,694
Per student
-28%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.0%
State 14.3%
Federal 10.7%

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 Seward High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Seward Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Seward Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Seward High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Seward Public Schools · 2 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Seward High School's federal record.

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 Seward High School

How many students attend Seward High School?

Seward High School has 511 students enrolled. It is a high school in Seward, NE.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Seward High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Seward High School is 13.4:1, which is 1% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 15% 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 Seward High School?

12.6% of students at Seward High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Seward High School?

The largest demographic group at Seward High School is White at 92.4% of enrollment, in Seward, NE.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Seward High School?

Seward High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Seward High School rank among public schools in Seward?

By Resource Investment Index, Seward High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Seward, NE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Seward on the city page.

Is Seward High School a good school?

Seward High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median. 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 Seward Public Schools?

Besides Seward High School, Seward Public Schools also operates Seward Elementary School (558 students) and Seward Middle School (416 students). See the Seward Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.