Enrollment
1,195
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 272124001037
Southwest High — Minneapolis, MN
Federal NCES profile for Southwest High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
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: Minneapolis Public School District · Minnesota
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)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
28:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+76% 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
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 High reports 1,195 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 53.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 28:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 76% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 76% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% below the Minnesota average and 51% below the national baseline. The school offers 7 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 239 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Minneapolis Public School District spends $26,112 per pupil district-wide, above the Minnesota average of $21,113 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.2% from local sources (property taxes), 50.3% from the state, and 18.5% 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 4 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 High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 28:1 | ▲ 76% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.6% | ▼ 40% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,195 | top 96% | — | — |
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.
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
28:1
students per teacher
— 76% above state mean
Top 94% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$26,112
per pupil, district-wide
— above Minnesota avg of $21,113
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting 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
Enrollment 1,195 Top 96% in Minnesota — larger than 4% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 53.0
Students per teacher 28:1 +76% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.6% -40% vs state
NCES ID 272124001037
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 239:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 49
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Minneapolis Public School District, which includes Southwest High.
$26,112
Per student
+24%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
+34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,521
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,257
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,020
- Students per teacher
- 28.9:1
Similar high schools in Minneapolis
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Washburn High
Standard public school
1,521 students 27.3:1 students per teacher
South High
Standard public school
1,257 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt High
Standard public school
1,148 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Edison High
Standard public school
865 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Henry High
Standard public school
783 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Hiawatha Collegiate High School
Standard public school
744 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
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 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 28:1, which is 76% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 76% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in MINNEAPOLIS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest High?
Southwest High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.