Enrollment
496
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Poneto, IN
Southern Wells Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Southern Wells Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 181077001764
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Wells Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.7:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 45.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 496
- students enrolled
Southern Wells Elementary School has class sizes larger than 77% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Southern Wells Com Schools · Indiana
NCES ID 181077001764 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.2%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Wells Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Wells Elementary School
Southern Wells Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Poneto, Indiana, enrolling 496 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 45.2% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 496 students, its enrollment sits close to the Indiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Among 574 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #525, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 496 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district, Southern Wells Com Schools, also runs Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School (384 students).
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 Wells Elementary School compares
Southern Wells Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.7:1 | ▲ 11% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.2% | ▼ 9% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 496 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
496
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.7:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 77% in Indiana - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,277
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 496 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 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
White 95.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Two or More 0.8%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 95.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.6, Southern Wells Elementary School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Wells Com Schools, which includes Southern Wells Elementary School.
$12,277
Per student
+2%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.4%
State 58.0%
Federal 10.7%
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.
How Southern Wells Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Wells Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~496 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Wells Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Southern Wells Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Southern Wells Com Schools'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 Wells Elementary School
How many students attend Southern Wells Elementary School?
Southern Wells Elementary School has 496 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Poneto, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Wells Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Wells Elementary School is 17.7:1, which is 11% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southern Wells Elementary School?
45.2% of students at Southern Wells Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Wells Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Southern Wells Elementary School is White at 95.0% of enrollment, in Poneto, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Wells Elementary School?
Southern Wells Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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).
Is Southern Wells Elementary School a good school?
Southern Wells Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana 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 Southern Wells Com Schools?
Besides Southern Wells Elementary School, Southern Wells Com Schools also operates Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School (384 students). See the Southern Wells Com Schools 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.