Enrollment
959
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Rockville Centre, NY
South Side High School
Federal NCES profile for South Side High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 362478003431
👥 S:T ratio 62
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Side High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of New York schools.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Rockville Centre · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.6:1
- small classes for New York
- 14.5%
- free-lunch eligible
South Side High School has class sizes smaller than 76% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Side High School ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Rockville Centre, NY.
School address
District: Rockville Centre Union Free School District · New York
NCES ID 362478003431 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
100.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.5%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Side High School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Side High School
South Side High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Rockville Centre, New York, enrolling 959 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.5% free-meal eligibility runs 74% below the New York average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New York, bigger than 91% of state schools at 959 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 287 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #108.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 51/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 192 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Rockville Centre Union Free School District spends $34,282 per pupil, 30% above the New York average, a better-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Rockville Centre Union Free School District also operates South Side Middle School (806 students) and Hewitt School (465 students) alongside South Side 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 South Side High School compares
South Side High School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.6:1 | ▼ 19% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.5% | ▼ 74% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 959 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
959
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% below the New York average of 56.2%
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
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 24% in New York - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$34,282
per pupil, district-wide
- above New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 192 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 35 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 66.9%
Hispanic or Latino 17.9%
African American 9.3%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 2.7%
Largest group: White at 66.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.0, South Side High School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rockville Centre Union Free School District, which includes South Side High School.
$34,282
Per student
+30%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+107%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 80.1%
State 14.9%
Federal 4.9%
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 Side High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Side Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hewitt School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wilson School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| William S Covert School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Watson School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Side High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 286
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 224
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~959 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Side High School's federal record.
- Compare South Side High School against another school. Compare schools
- Rockville Centre Union Free School District'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 Side High School
How many students attend South Side High School?
South Side High School has 959 students enrolled. It is a high school in Rockville Centre, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Side High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Side High School is 9.6:1, which is 19% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 39% 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 South Side High School?
14.5% of students at South Side High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Side High School?
The largest demographic group at South Side High School is White at 66.9% of enrollment, in Rockville Centre, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Side High School?
South Side High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 South Side High School rank among public schools in Rockville Centre?
By Resource Investment Index, South Side High School ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Rockville Centre, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Rockville Centre on the city page.
Is South Side High School a good school?
South Side High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of New York schools. 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 Rockville Centre Union Free School District?
Besides South Side High School, Rockville Centre Union Free School District also operates South Side Middle School (806 students), Hewitt School (465 students), and Wilson School (387 students). See the Rockville Centre Union Free School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Compare schools
Side-by-side comparison tool
Schools in New York
All public schools in New York
Rockville Centre Union Free School District
All schools in this district
Schools in Rockville Centre
All schools in this city
School districts
Ranked by enrollment & spending
Rankings
Best schools by state & type
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.