Enrollment
384
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Poneto, IN
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School
Federal NCES profile for Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 181077001765
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.8:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 35.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 384
- students enrolled
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School has class sizes smaller than 82% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Southern Wells Com Schools · Indiana
NCES ID 181077001765 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.8%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Poneto, Indiana, enrolling 384 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 384 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 469 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Indiana schools statewide, it ranks #385, 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 9/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 384 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, Southern Wells Com Schools, also runs Southern Wells Elementary School (496 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 Jr-Sr High School compares
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 19% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 28% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 384 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
384
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 18% in Indiana - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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 384 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
28
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 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 95.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 95.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.0, Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Wells Com Schools, which includes Southern Wells Jr-Sr High 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 Jr-Sr High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Wells Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 496
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other 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 (~384 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School's federal record.
- Compare Southern Wells Jr-Sr High 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 Jr-Sr High School
How many students attend Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School?
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School has 384 students enrolled. It is a public school in Poneto, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School is 12.8:1, which is 19% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 18% 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 Wells Jr-Sr High School?
35.8% of students at Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School?
The largest demographic group at Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School is White at 95.3% of enrollment, in Poneto, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School?
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School a good school?
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% 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 Jr-Sr High School, Southern Wells Com Schools also operates Southern Wells Elementary School (496 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.