Enrollment
871
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 210495001572
Southern Middle School — Somerset, KY
Federal NCES profile for Southern Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 16
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
District: Pulaski 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)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.4%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Middle 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
Southern Middle School reports 871 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 50.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 64.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% above the Kentucky average and 24% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 436 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pulaski County spends $12,769 per pupil district-wide, below the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.0% from local sources (property taxes), 56.3% from the state, and 17.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), 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 Southern Middle 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 21% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.4% | ▲ 9% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 871 | top 91% | — | — |
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
64.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.8:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 91% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$12,769
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 436 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
176
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 871 Top 91% in Kentucky — larger than 9% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 50.0
Students per teacher 18.8:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 64.4% +9% vs state
NCES ID 210495001572
Student demographics
White 87.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Two or More 3.0%
Asian 2.6%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 87.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 436:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.6%
In-school suspensions 176
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pulaski County, which includes Southern Middle School.
$12,769
Per student
-15%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.0%
State 56.3%
Federal 17.7%
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
- 1,213
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,113
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 797
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 611
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
Similar middle schools in Somerset
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Southern Middle School
How many students attend Southern Middle School?
Southern Middle School has 871 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Somerset, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Middle School is 18.8:1, which is 21% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southern Middle School?
64.4% of students at Southern Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Southern Middle School is White at 87.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Somerset, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Middle School?
Southern Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) 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.