Enrollment
294
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 470117000369
Southwest Elementary — Williston, TN
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 53
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: Fayette County Public Schools · Tennessee
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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Elementary compares with Tennessee 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 Elementary reports 294 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fayette County Public Schools spends $12,193 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.6% from local sources (property taxes), 44.3% from the state, and 27.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 6% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 294 | top 22% | — | — |
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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 72% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,193
per pupil, district-wide
— below Tennessee avg of $12,324
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
0
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 294 Top 22% in Tennessee — larger than 78% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470117000369
Student demographics
African American 53.1%
White 31.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.9%
Two or More 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 53.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fayette County Public Schools, which includes Southwest Elementary.
$12,193
Per student
-1%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.6%
State 44.3%
Federal 27.1%
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
- 724
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
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 Elementary
How many students attend Southwest Elementary?
Southwest Elementary has 294 students enrolled. It is a other school in Williston, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Elementary is 16.5:1, which is 6% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Elementary is African American at 53.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Williston, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Elementary?
Southwest Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 3 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.