Enrollment
1,548
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 210573002277
South Warren High School — Bowling Green, KY
Federal NCES profile for South Warren High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 20
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 65
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 Warren High School earns a C- Resource Investment Index (52/100), with class sizes larger than 94% of Kentucky schools.
- C-
- Resource Index · 52/100
- 19.9:1
- large classes for Kentucky
- 35.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,548
- students enrolled
School address
District: Warren County · Kentucky
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)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.0%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Warren High School compares with Kentucky 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 Warren High School reports 1,548 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 75.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% above the Kentucky state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Kentucky average and 32% below the national baseline. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 387 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Warren County spends $13,452 per pupil district-wide, below the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.6% from local sources (property taxes), 44.6% from the state, and 22.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), 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 Warren High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kentucky state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.9:1 | ▲ 28% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.0% | ▼ 41% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,548 | top 98% | — | — |
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)
20 smaller classes than 16% 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')
1,548 larger than 96% 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
35.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% below the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 94% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.1%
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
$13,452
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kentucky avg of $15,105
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 387 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
168
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,548 Top 98% in Kentucky — larger than 2% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 75.0
Students per teacher 19.9:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.0% -41% vs state
NCES ID 210573002277
Student demographics
White 71.6%
Asian 10.7%
African American 7.2%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%
Two or More 4.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 71.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 387:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.1%
In-school suspensions 168
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Warren County, which includes South Warren High School.
$13,452
Per student
-11%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.6%
State 44.6%
Federal 22.8%
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
- 1,451
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 967
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 856
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar high schools in Bowling Green
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Greenwood High School
Standard public school
1,451 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Bowling Green High School
Standard public school
1,377 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Warren Central High School
Standard public school
1,070 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Warren East High School
Standard public school
967 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Geo International High School
Alternative education program
148 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Rivendell High School
Alternative education program
59 students 6.8:1 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 Warren High School
How many students attend South Warren High School?
South Warren High School has 1,548 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bowling Green, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Warren High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Warren High School is 19.9:1, which is 28% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Warren High School?
35.0% of students at South Warren High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Warren High School?
The largest demographic group at South Warren High School is White at 71.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bowling Green, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Warren High School?
South Warren High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) 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.