Enrollment
521
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Wichita Falls, TX
Southern Hills El
Federal NCES profile for Southern Hills El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484578011922
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Hills El earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #5 of 24
- schools in Wichita Falls · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 75.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Southern Hills El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Hills El ranks #5 of 24 schools in Wichita Falls, TX.
School address
District: Wichita Falls Isd · Texas
NCES ID 484578011922 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Hills El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Hills El
Southern Hills El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Wichita Falls, Texas, enrolling 521 students.
At 14.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 521 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 2,075 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #95, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and White (18%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 261 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 22.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Wichita Falls Isd also operates Rider H S (1,589 students) and Wichita Falls H S (1,309 students) alongside Southern Hills El.
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 Southern Hills El compares
Southern Hills El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▼ 1% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.6% | ▲ 22% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 521 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
521
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 53% in Texas - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,631
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 261 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.6 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
Hispanic or Latino 67.0%
White 18.4%
African American 9.2%
Two or More 4.4%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.7, Southern Hills El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wichita Falls Isd, which includes Southern Hills El.
$11,631
Per student
-15%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.1%
State 39.7%
Federal 22.3%
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 Southern Hills El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rider H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wichita Falls H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Barwise Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mcniel Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hirschi H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Hills El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,589
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,309
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,164
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~521 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Hills El's federal record.
- Compare Southern Hills El against another school. Compare schools
- Wichita Falls Isd'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 Southern Hills El
How many students attend Southern Hills El?
Southern Hills El has 521 students enrolled. It is a public school in Wichita Falls, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Hills El?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Hills El is 14.5:1, which is 1% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 8% 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 Southern Hills El?
75.6% of students at Southern Hills El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Hills El?
The largest demographic group at Southern Hills El is Hispanic or Latino at 67.0% of enrollment, in Wichita Falls, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Hills El?
Southern Hills El has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Southern Hills El rank among schools in Wichita Falls?
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Hills El ranks #5 of 24 schools in Wichita Falls, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Wichita Falls on the city page.
Is Southern Hills El a good school?
Southern Hills El earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas 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 Wichita Falls Isd?
Besides Southern Hills El, Wichita Falls Isd also operates Rider H S (1,589 students), Wichita Falls H S (1,309 students), and Barwise Middle (1,164 students). See the Wichita Falls Isd 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.