Enrollment
441
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dexter, MO
Southwest Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 291077000364
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest Elem. earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #4 of 6
- public schools in Dexter · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 46.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwest Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Elem. ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Dexter, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.9%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwest Elem.
Southwest Elem. is a mid-sized elementary school in Dexter, Missouri, enrolling 441 students.
At 12.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 46.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 441 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 437 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #308.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 441 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Dexter R-Xi spends $9,912 per pupil, 23% below the Missouri average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dexter R-Xi also operates Dexter High (553 students) and T. S. Hill Middle (475 students) alongside Southwest Elem..
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 Elem. compares
Southwest Elem. on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 2% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.9% | ▲ 2% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 441 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
441
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 49% in Missouri - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$9,912
per pupil, district-wide
- below Missouri avg of $12,931
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 441 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.2 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 90.2%
Two or More 4.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Asian 0.9%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 90.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.3, Southwest Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dexter R-Xi, which includes Southwest Elem..
$9,912
Per student
-23%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 34.7%
Federal 19.3%
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 Southwest Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| T. S. Hill Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Central Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southwest Elementary Preschool | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwest Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 553
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 92
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Missouri, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~441 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Southwest Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Dexter R-Xi'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 Elem.
How many students attend Southwest Elem.?
Southwest Elem. has 441 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dexter, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Elem. is 12.6:1, which is 2% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 20% 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 Elem.?
46.9% of students at Southwest Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Elem. is White at 90.2% of enrollment, in Dexter, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Elem.?
Southwest Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Elem. rank among public schools in Dexter?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Elem. ranks #4 of 6 public schools in Dexter, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Dexter on the city page.
Is Southwest Elem. a good school?
Southwest Elem. earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri 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 Dexter R-Xi?
Besides Southwest Elem., Dexter R-Xi also operates Dexter High (553 students), T. S. Hill Middle (475 students), and Central Elem. (447 students). See the Dexter R-Xi 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.