Enrollment
300
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 180297000888
South Side Elementary School — Kendallville, IN
Federal NCES profile for South Side Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 59
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 →
The verdict
South Side Elementary School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (54/100), with class sizes smaller than 78% of Indiana schools.
- C-
- Resource Index · 54/100
- 13.5:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 57.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 300
- students enrolled
School address
District: East Noble School Corporation · Indiana
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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.7%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Side Elementary School compares with Indiana 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 Side Elementary School reports 300 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% above the Indiana average and 11% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 300 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding East Noble School Corporation spends $14,379 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.6% from local sources (property taxes), 62.8% from the state, and 9.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 4 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 Side Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▼ 16% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.7% | ▲ 17% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 22% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
14 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 64% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
300 larger than 32% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
57.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 22% in Indiana — lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,379
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 300 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 300 Top 22% in Indiana — larger than 78% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.7% +17% vs state
NCES ID 180297000888
Student demographics
White 82.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.0%
Two or More 2.7%
African American 1.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 82.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 300:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Noble School Corporation, which includes South Side Elementary School.
$14,379
Per student
-1%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.6%
State 62.8%
Federal 9.6%
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
- 1,019
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 422
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 346
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
Similar other schools in Kendallville
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 South Side Elementary School
How many students attend South Side Elementary School?
South Side Elementary School has 300 students enrolled. It is a other school in Kendallville, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Side Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Side Elementary School is 13.5:1, which is 16% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Side Elementary School?
57.7% of students at South Side Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Side Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at South Side Elementary School is White at 82.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kendallville, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Side Elementary School?
South Side Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.