Enrollment
1,016
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cleveland, TX
Southside El
Federal NCES profile for Southside El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 481437000929
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southside El earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #6 of 8
- schools in Cleveland · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 92.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Southside El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southside El ranks #6 of 8 schools in Cleveland, TX.
School address
District: Cleveland Isd · Texas
NCES ID 481437000929 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southside El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southside El
Southside El is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Cleveland, Texas, enrolling 1,016 students.
At 14.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 92.6% of students qualify for free meals, 50% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 1,016 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 748 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #614, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 508 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Cleveland Isd spends $10,716 per pupil, 21% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Cleveland Isd also operates Cleveland H S (3,627 students) and Cleveland Middle (1,446 students) alongside Southside El.
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 compares
Southside El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.6% | ▲ 50% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,016 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,016
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in Texas - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
42.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,716
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 508 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.8 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
Hispanic or Latino 87.3%
White 8.6%
African American 2.8%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.0, Southside El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cleveland Isd, which includes Southside El.
$10,716
Per student
-21%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.4%
State 65.3%
Federal 11.2%
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 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cleveland Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Fe Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northside El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Fe El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southside El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,627
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,446
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 1,117
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,073
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,016 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southside El's federal record.
- Compare Southside El against another school. Compare schools
- Cleveland Isd'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
How many students attend Southside El?
Southside El has 1,016 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cleveland, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside El?
The student-teacher ratio at Southside El is 14.1:1, which is 4% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 10% 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?
92.6% of students at Southside El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside El?
The largest demographic group at Southside El is Hispanic or Latino at 87.3% of enrollment, in Cleveland, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside El?
Southside El has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 rank among schools in Cleveland?
By Resource Investment Index, Southside El ranks #6 of 8 schools in Cleveland, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cleveland on the city page.
Is Southside El a good school?
Southside El earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Cleveland Isd?
Besides Southside El, Cleveland Isd also operates Cleveland H S (3,627 students), Cleveland Middle (1,446 students), and Santa Fe Middle (1,117 students). See the Cleveland Isd 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.