Enrollment
384
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 181077001765
Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School — Poneto, IN
Federal NCES profile for Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 60
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: Southern Wells Com Schools · Indiana
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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-21% 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
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 Wells Jr-Sr High School reports 384 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 20% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the Indiana average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 384 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Southern Wells Com Schools spends $13,824 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.4% from local sources (property taxes), 58.0% from the state, and 10.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Wells Jr-Sr High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 21% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 28% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 384 | top 37% | — | — |
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
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
12.7:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 14% in Indiana — lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.1%
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
$13,824
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 384 Top 37% in Indiana — larger than 63% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 12.7:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.8% -28% vs state
NCES ID 181077001765
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 384:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.1%
In-school suspensions 28
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southern Wells Com Schools, which includes Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School.
$13,824
Per student
-5%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 496
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
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 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 other 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 12.7:1, which is 21% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 41/100 (D) based on 4 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.