Enrollment
415
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Belton, TX
Southwest El
Federal NCES profile for Southwest El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 480986000459
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest El earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Texas schools.
- #3 of 7
- elementary schools in Belton · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.2:1
- small classes for Texas
- 83.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwest El has class sizes smaller than 75% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest El ranks #3 of 7 elementary schools in Belton, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwest El
Southwest El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Belton, Texas, enrolling 415 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 83.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 415 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,911 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #365.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (69%) and White (20%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 415 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Belton Isd also operates Lake Belton H S (2,300 students) and Belton H S (1,763 students) alongside Southwest 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 Southwest El compares
Southwest 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 17% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.6% | ▲ 35% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 415 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
415
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 25% in Texas - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,093
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 415 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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
Hispanic or Latino 68.9%
White 19.8%
African American 7.2%
Two or More 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 68.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.9, Southwest El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belton Isd, which includes Southwest El.
$11,093
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.5%
State 49.9%
Federal 11.5%
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 Southwest El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Belton H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Belton H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Belton Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Belton Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chisholm Trail El | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwest El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,300
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,763
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 979
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 803
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary 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 (~415 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest El's federal record.
- Compare Southwest El against another school. Compare schools
- Belton 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 Southwest El
How many students attend Southwest El?
Southwest El has 415 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Belton, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest El?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest El is 12.2:1, which is 17% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 22% 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 Southwest El?
83.6% of students at Southwest El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest El?
The largest demographic group at Southwest El is Hispanic or Latino at 68.9% of enrollment, in Belton, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest El?
Southwest El has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Southwest El rank among elementary schools in Belton?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest El ranks #3 of 7 elementary schools in Belton, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Belton on the city page.
Is Southwest El a good school?
Southwest El earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Texas 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 Belton Isd?
Besides Southwest El, Belton Isd also operates Lake Belton H S (2,300 students), Belton H S (1,763 students), and North Belton Middle (979 students). See the Belton 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.