Enrollment
1,950
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 080336000408
South High School — Denver, CO
Federal NCES profile for South High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 19
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 7
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)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.3:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.6%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South High School compares with Colorado 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
South High School reports 1,950 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 91.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% above the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Colorado average and 35% below the national baseline. The school offers 14 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 325 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C spends $19,296 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 70.4% from local sources (property taxes), 16.8% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 South High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.3:1 | ▲ 20% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.6% | ▼ 13% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,950 | top 99% | — | — |
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
33.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
20.3:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 90% in Colorado — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
37.3%
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
$19,296
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 325 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
87
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,950 Top 99% in Colorado — larger than 1% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 91.0
Students per teacher 20.3:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.6% -13% vs state
NCES ID 080336000408
Student demographics
White 51.1%
Hispanic or Latino 29.8%
African American 7.7%
Two or More 6.9%
Asian 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 51.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 325:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.3%
In-school suspensions 87
Out-of-school suspensions 52
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C, which includes South High School.
$19,296
Per student
-8%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 70.4%
State 16.8%
Federal 12.8%
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
- 2,476
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,137
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,653
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,390
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 1,329
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar high schools in Denver
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
East High School
Standard public school
2,476 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
Northfield High School
Standard public school
2,137 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
North High School
Standard public school
1,653 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Thomas Jefferson High School
Standard public school
1,390 students 18:1 students per teacher
George Washington High School
Standard public school
1,326 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Montbello High School
Standard public school
1,112 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
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 South High School
How many students attend South High School?
South High School has 1,950 students enrolled. It is a high school in DENVER, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South High School is 20.3:1, which is 20% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South High School?
33.6% of students at South High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South High School?
The largest demographic group at South High School is White at 51.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in DENVER, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South High School?
South High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.