Enrollment
347
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Huntingdon, PA
Southside El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Southside El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 421209000354
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southside El Sch earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Huntingdon · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 43.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Southside El Sch has class sizes smaller than 78% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southside El Sch ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Huntingdon, PA.
School address
District: Huntingdon Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421209000354 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southside El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southside El Sch
Southside El Sch is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, enrolling 347 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.3% lands close to the Pennsylvania typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 347 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 545 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #40, a top-tier result 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 347 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.5% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Huntingdon's public schools, it stands alongside New Day Cs (139 students): Southside El Sch is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (11.6:1 vs 9.9:1).
Huntingdon Area Sd also operates Huntingdon Area Shs (546 students) and Huntingdon Area Ms (419 students) alongside Southside El Sch.
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 Southside El Sch compares
Southside El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.6:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.3% | ▼ 25% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 347 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
347
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 22% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$16,587
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 347 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 95.4%
Two or More 2.9%
Hispanic or Latino 0.9%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 95.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.9, Southside El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huntingdon Area Sd, which includes Southside El Sch.
$16,587
Per student
-8%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.5%
State 46.8%
Federal 10.8%
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 Southside El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntingdon Area Shs | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Huntingdon Area Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Standing Stone El Sch | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southside El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 546
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 419
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools in Huntingdon
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~347 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southside El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Southside El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Huntingdon Area Sd'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 Southside El Sch
How many students attend Southside El Sch?
Southside El Sch has 347 students enrolled. It is a public school in Huntingdon, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Southside El Sch is 11.6:1, which is 15% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 26% 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 Southside El Sch?
43.3% of students at Southside El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Southside El Sch is White at 95.4% of enrollment, in Huntingdon, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside El Sch?
Southside El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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).
How does Southside El Sch rank among public schools in Huntingdon?
By Resource Investment Index, Southside El Sch ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Huntingdon, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Huntingdon on the city page.
Is Southside El Sch a good school?
Southside El Sch earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania 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 Huntingdon Area Sd?
Besides Southside El Sch, Huntingdon Area Sd also operates Huntingdon Area Shs (546 students), Huntingdon Area Ms (419 students), and Standing Stone El Sch (382 students). See the Huntingdon Area Sd 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.