High school (grades 9-12) · Southside, AL

Southside High School

Federal NCES profile for Southside High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 010138000506
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10020/100
👥 S:T ratio
22
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Southside High School earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Alabama schools.

20
Resource Index · Lower
19.6:1
large classes for Alabama
36.0%
free-lunch eligible
825
students enrolled

Southside High School has class sizes larger than 79% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.

School address

Southside, AL 35907
District: Etowah County · Alabama

NCES ID 010138000506 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

+48 students YoY

Southside High School grew from 770 students in 2022-23 to 818 in 2023-24 (+6.2%).

Teacher FTE added 42.3 → 43.2 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Growing CCD campus

+48 students YoY 010138000506 · Southside, AL High · MID · TRAD

825 enr · 19.6:1 · 36.0% lunch · RII 20

Nearest enrollment peer: John S Jones Elementary School (745 students)

Southside High School grew from 770 students in 2022-23 to 818 in 2023-24 (+6.2%). Teacher FTE added 42.3 → 43.2 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Alabama schools → · Find another →

Southside High School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Southside High School reports 825 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Southside High School compares

Southside High School is a growing campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs Alabama and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Alabama Alabama avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 19.6:1 ▲ 11% 17.7:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 36.0% ▼ 39% 58.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 825 top 13% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

19.6:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
825
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
36.0%
free-lunch eligible - 39% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.6:1
students per teacher - 11% above state mean
Top 79% in Alabama - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.0%
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
$11,215
per pupil, district-wide - below Alabama avg of $13,538
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 825 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
57
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.

Student demographics

White 83.6%
African American 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Two or More 3.0%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%

Largest group: White at 83.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 29.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 29.4, Southside High School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.

Programs

AP courses offered 10

District finance for Etowah County reports $11,215 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Southside High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
John S Jones Elementary School Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Rainbow Middle School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Hokes Bluff Elementary School Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Southside Elementary School Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Sardis High School Smaller Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Southside High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Etowah County · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide high schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~825 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.6:1)

Frequently asked questions about Southside High School

How many students attend Southside High School?

Southside High School has 825 students enrolled. It is a high school in Southside, AL. CCD year-over-year: 770 (2022-23) → 818 (2023-24), up 48.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Southside High School is 19.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southside High School?

36.0% of students at Southside High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside High School?

The largest demographic group at Southside High School is White at 83.6% of enrollment, in Southside, AL.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside High School?

Southside High School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

What other schools are in Etowah County?

Besides Southside High School, Etowah County also operates John S Jones Elementary School (745 students), Rainbow Middle School (634 students), and Hokes Bluff Elementary School (610 students). See the Etowah County district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .