Enrollment
48
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 380003800156
Southwest Community High School — Dickinson, ND
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Community High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 71
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 84
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: Dickinson 1 · North Dakota
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)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.3:1
vs 11.7:1 North Dakota avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Community High School compares with North Dakota 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
Southwest Community High School reports 48 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 4.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% below the North Dakota state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 54% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dickinson 1 spends $16,043 per pupil district-wide, below the North Dakota average of $22,219 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.7% from local sources (property taxes), 49.9% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Southwest Community High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Dakota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.3:1 | ▼ 38% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 48 | 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.
Staffing depth
7.3:1
students per teacher
— 38% below state mean
Top 14% in North Dakota — lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$16,043
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Dakota avg of $22,219
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 48 Top 15% in North Dakota — larger than 85% of 499 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 4.0
Students per teacher 7.3:1 -38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 380003800156
Student demographics
White 68.8%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
Two or More 10.4%
African American 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
Largest group: White at 68.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.3%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dickinson 1, which includes Southwest Community High School.
$16,043
Per student
-28%
vs North Dakota
Avg $22,219
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 49.9%
Federal 14.4%
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
- 1,022
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 944
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
Similar high schools in Dickinson
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Southwest Community High School
How many students attend Southwest Community High School?
Southwest Community High School has 48 students enrolled. It is a high school in Dickinson, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Community High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Community High School is 7.3:1, which is 38% lower than the North Dakota average of 11.7:1 and 54% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Community High School?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Community High School is White at 68.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Dickinson, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Community High School?
Southwest Community High School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.