Enrollment
1,195
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Minneapolis, MN
Southwest High
Federal NCES profile for Southwest High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 272124001037
👥 S:T ratio 10
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.
- #11 of 34
- high schools in Minneapolis · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22.5:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 25.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwest High has class sizes larger than 89% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest High ranks #11 of 34 high schools in Minneapolis, MN.
School address
District: Minneapolis Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 272124001037 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwest High
Southwest High is a large high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, enrolling 1,195 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.5:1 is larger than about 89% of Minnesota schools and 42% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,195 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 165 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #34.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and African American (15%) (diversity index 53/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 239 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Minneapolis Public School District spends $21,154 per pupil, 39% above the Minnesota average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Minneapolis Public School District also operates Washburn High (1,521 students) and South High (1,257 students) alongside Southwest High.
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 High compares
Southwest High on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.5:1 | ▲ 42% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.6% | ▼ 40% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,195 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.5:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,195
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.5:1
students per teacher
- 42% above state mean
Top 89% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$21,154
per pupil, district-wide
- above Minnesota avg of $15,270
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 239 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 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 66.1%
African American 15.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Largest group: White at 66.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.8, Southwest High is more mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Minneapolis Public School District, which includes Southwest High.
$21,154
Per student
+39%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.2%
State 50.3%
Federal 18.5%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Roosevelt High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Andersen Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Justice Page Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwest High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,521
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,257
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,020
- Students per teacher
- 31.9:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,195 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest High's federal record.
- Compare Southwest High against another school. Compare schools
- Minneapolis Public School District'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 High
How many students attend Southwest High?
Southwest High has 1,195 students enrolled. It is a high school in Minneapolis, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest High?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest High is 22.5:1, which is 42% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwest High?
25.6% of students at Southwest High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest High?
The largest demographic group at Southwest High is White at 66.1% of enrollment, in Minneapolis, MN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest High?
Southwest High has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Southwest High rank among high schools in Minneapolis?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest High ranks #11 of 34 high schools in Minneapolis, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Minneapolis on the city page.
Is Southwest High a good school?
Southwest High earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. 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 Minneapolis Public School District?
Besides Southwest High, Minneapolis Public School District also operates Washburn High (1,521 students), South High (1,257 students), and Roosevelt High (1,148 students). See the Minneapolis Public School District 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.