Enrollment
670
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Philadelphia, PA
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Leadership Academy Cs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420075806112Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #90 of 131
- elementary schools in Philadelphia · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 29.1:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 99.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs has class sizes larger than 99% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Leadership Academy Cs ranks #90 of 131 elementary schools in Philadelphia, PA.
School address
District: Southwest Leadership Academy Cs · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420075806112 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
29.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+114% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.5%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Leadership Academy Cs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwest Leadership Academy Cs
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enrolling 670 students.
Class loads run heavy: 29.1:1 is larger than about 99% of Pennsylvania schools and 114% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 99.5% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 670 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 444 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #353, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 335 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Philadelphia's elementary schools, it stands alongside Northeast Community Propel Academy (1,783 students): Southwest Leadership Academy Cs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (29.1:1 vs 22.6:1).
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs is a single-school charter district, so Southwest Leadership Academy Cs operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Leadership Academy Cs compares
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 29.1:1 | ▲ 114% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.5% | ▲ 71% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 670 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
29.1:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
670
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
29.1:1
students per teacher
- 114% above state mean
Top 99% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
21.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,488
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 335 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 106 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.8 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
African American 89.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.9%
White 0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 89.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.4, Southwest Leadership Academy Cs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southwest Leadership Academy Cs, which includes Southwest Leadership Academy Cs.
$15,488
Per student
-14%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.2%
State 1.2%
Federal 23.5%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Philadelphia
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Northeast Community Propel Academy
Standard public school
1,783 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Mayfair Sch
Standard public school
1,763 students 21:1 students per teacher
Solis-Cohen Solomon Sch
Standard public school
1,350 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Mast Community Cs Iii
Standard public school
1,290 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Moore J Hampton Sch
Standard public school
1,192 students 17:1 students per teacher
Farrell Louis H Sch
Standard public school
1,187 students 18:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~670 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest Leadership Academy Cs's federal record.
- Compare Southwest Leadership Academy Cs against another school. Compare schools
- Southwest Leadership Academy Cs'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 Leadership Academy Cs
How many students attend Southwest Leadership Academy Cs?
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs has 670 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Philadelphia, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Leadership Academy Cs?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Leadership Academy Cs is 29.1:1, which is 114% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 85% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwest Leadership Academy Cs?
99.5% of students at Southwest Leadership Academy Cs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Leadership Academy Cs?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Leadership Academy Cs is African American at 89.4% of enrollment, in Philadelphia, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Leadership Academy Cs?
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower 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 Leadership Academy Cs rank among elementary schools in Philadelphia?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Leadership Academy Cs ranks #90 of 131 elementary schools in Philadelphia, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Philadelphia on the city page.
Is Southwest Leadership Academy Cs a good school?
Southwest Leadership Academy Cs earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Pennsylvania 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 Southwest Leadership Academy Cs?
None; Southwest Leadership Academy Cs is a single-school charter district, and Southwest Leadership Academy Cs is its only campus.
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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.