Enrollment
446
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dinwiddie, VA
Southside Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Southside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510117000417
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southside Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Dinwiddie · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 75.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Southside Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Elementary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Dinwiddie, VA.
School address
District: Dinwiddie County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510117000417 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.5%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southside Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southside Elementary
Southside Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Dinwiddie, Virginia, enrolling 446 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 446 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 364 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #309, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (36%) and African American (35%) (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 446 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Dinwiddie County Public Schools also operates Dinwiddie County High (1,260 students) and Dinwiddie County Middle (919 students) alongside Southside Elementary.
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 Elementary compares
Southside Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.5% | ▲ 31% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 446 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
446
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 32% in Virginia - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.3%
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
$13,335
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 446 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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 35.7%
African American 34.5%
Hispanic or Latino 21.3%
Two or More 8.1%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 35.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.2, Southside Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dinwiddie County Public Schools, which includes Southside Elementary.
$13,335
Per student
-9%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.4%
State 55.3%
Federal 11.3%
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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinwiddie County High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dinwiddie County Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sutherland Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Midway Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dinwiddie Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southside Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,260
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 919
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~446 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southside Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Southside Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Dinwiddie County Public 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 Southside Elementary
How many students attend Southside Elementary?
Southside Elementary has 446 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dinwiddie, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 9% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 19% 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 Elementary?
75.5% of students at Southside Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Southside Elementary is White at 35.7% of enrollment, in Dinwiddie, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside Elementary?
Southside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical 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 Elementary rank among public schools in Dinwiddie?
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Elementary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Dinwiddie, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Dinwiddie on the city page.
Is Southside Elementary a good school?
Southside Elementary earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia 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 Dinwiddie County Public Schools?
Besides Southside Elementary, Dinwiddie County Public Schools also operates Dinwiddie County High (1,260 students), Dinwiddie County Middle (919 students), and Sutherland Elementary (548 students). See the Dinwiddie County Public 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.