Enrollment
439
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lawson, MO
Southwest Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291822000964
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest Elem. earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Lawson · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 24.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwest Elem. has class sizes larger than 89% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Elem. ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Lawson, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.3%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-47% 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 combined-grade school in Lawson, Missouri, enrolling 439 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.3:1 is larger than about 89% of Missouri schools and 27% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 24.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 439 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.
Among 460 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #433, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 439 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Lawson R-Xiv spends $10,310 per pupil, 20% below the Missouri average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Lawson R-Xiv also operates Lawson High (362 students) and Lawson Middle (342 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 27% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.3% | ▼ 47% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 439 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
439
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
24.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 47% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 89% in Missouri - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,310
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 439 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 100.0%
Largest group: White at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Southwest Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lawson R-Xiv, which includes Southwest Elem..
$10,310
Per student
-20%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.2%
State 39.1%
Federal 11.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawson High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lawson Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar 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
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other 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 (~439 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Southwest Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Lawson R-Xiv'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 439 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lawson, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Elem. is 16.3:1, which is 27% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwest Elem.?
24.3% 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 100.0% of enrollment, in Lawson, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Elem.?
Southwest Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Lawson?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Elem. ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Lawson, 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 Lawson on the city page.
Is Southwest Elem. a good school?
Southwest Elem. earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri 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 Lawson R-Xiv?
Besides Southwest Elem., Lawson R-Xiv also operates Lawson High (362 students) and Lawson Middle (342 students). See the Lawson R-Xiv 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.