Enrollment
112
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 292862001770
Southland High — Cardwell, MO
Federal NCES profile for Southland High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 63
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 28
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: Southland C-9 · Missouri
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)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.2:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+110% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southland High compares with Missouri 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
Southland High reports 112 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% below the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 42% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 97.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 110% above the Missouri average and 87% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 224 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Southland C-9 spends $17,441 per pupil district-wide, above the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.7% from local sources (property taxes), 39.6% from the state, and 34.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Southland High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Missouri state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.2:1 | ▼ 29% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.0% | ▲ 110% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 112 | top 15% | — | — |
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
97.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 110% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.2:1
students per teacher
— 29% below state mean
Top 12% in Missouri — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.6%
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
$17,441
per pupil, district-wide
— above Missouri avg of $15,248
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 224 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 112 Top 15% in Missouri — larger than 85% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 9.2:1 -29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 97.0% +110% vs state
NCES ID 292862001770
Student demographics
White 71.4%
Hispanic or Latino 27.7%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 71.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 224:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.6%
In-school suspensions 12
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southland C-9, which includes Southland High.
$17,441
Per student
+14%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.7%
State 39.6%
Federal 34.7%
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
- 150
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar other schools in Cardwell
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Southland High
How many students attend Southland High?
Southland High has 112 students enrolled. It is a other school in CARDWELL, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southland High?
The student-teacher ratio at Southland High is 9.2:1, which is 29% lower than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 42% 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 Southland High?
97.0% of students at Southland High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southland High?
The largest demographic group at Southland High is White at 71.4%. The school serves a student body in CARDWELL, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southland High?
Southland High has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) 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.