Enrollment
614
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Plymouth, MA
South Elementary
Federal NCES profile for South Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250972001547
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #7 of 8
- elementary schools in Plymouth · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 614
- students enrolled
South Elementary has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Elementary ranks #7 of 8 elementary schools in Plymouth, MA.
School address
District: Plymouth · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250972001547 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Elementary compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Elementary
South Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Plymouth, Massachusetts, enrolling 614 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 614 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 1,831 Massachusetts schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 614 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Plymouth's elementary schools, it stands alongside Indian Brook (520 students): South Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.1:1 vs 11.6:1).
Plymouth also operates Plymouth North High (1,169 students) and Plymouth South High (1,001 students) alongside South Elementary.
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 South Elementary compares
South Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.1:1 | ▲ 7% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 614 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
614
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 69% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.6%
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
$22,371
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 614 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 86.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.3%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 86.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.3, South Elementary is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plymouth, which includes South Elementary.
$22,371
Per student
0%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 26.9%
Federal 7.0%
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 South Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth North High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Plymouth South High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Plymouth Commun Intermediate | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Plymouth South Middle | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Indian Brook | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,169
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,001
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 920
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 601
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 520
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Plymouth
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Indian Brook
Standard public school
520 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Nathaniel Morton Elementary
Standard public school
511 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Federal Furnace School
Standard public school
359 students 9.7:1 students per teacher
West Elementary
Standard public school
349 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Manomet Elementary
Standard public school
263 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Cold Spring
Standard public school
214 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Massachusetts, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~614 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Elementary's federal record.
- Compare South Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Plymouth'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 South Elementary
How many students attend South Elementary?
South Elementary has 614 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Plymouth, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Elementary is 13.1:1, which is 7% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Elementary is White at 86.6% of enrollment, in Plymouth, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Elementary?
South Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does South Elementary rank among elementary schools in Plymouth?
By Resource Investment Index, South Elementary ranks #7 of 8 elementary schools in Plymouth, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Plymouth on the city page.
Is South Elementary a good school?
South Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts 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 Plymouth?
Besides South Elementary, Plymouth also operates Plymouth North High (1,169 students), Plymouth South High (1,001 students), and Plymouth Commun Intermediate (920 students). See the Plymouth 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.