Enrollment
803
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ballwin, MO
Southwest Middle
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 292358001540
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest Middle earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Missouri schools.
- #6 of 12
- public schools in Ballwin · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 15.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwest Middle has class sizes larger than 90% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Middle ranks #6 of 12 public schools in Ballwin, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.0%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Middle compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwest Middle
Southwest Middle is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Ballwin, Missouri, enrolling 803 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.4:1 is larger than about 90% of Missouri schools and 28% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 15.0% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Missouri average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Missouri, bigger than 92% of state schools at 803 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 214 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #31.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 268 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
10.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Parkway C-2 also operates South High (1,485 students) and West High (1,417 students) alongside Southwest Middle.
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 Middle compares
Southwest Middle on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 28% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.0% | ▼ 67% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 803 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
803
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% above state mean
Top 90% in Missouri - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.7%
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
$14,102
per pupil, district-wide
- above Missouri avg of $12,931
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 268 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
64
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.9 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 70.0%
African American 10.1%
Asian 9.7%
Two or More 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 70.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.5, Southwest Middle is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Parkway C-2, which includes Southwest Middle.
$14,102
Per student
+9%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 89.1%
State 4.2%
Federal 6.7%
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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Central Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwest Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,485
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,417
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 1,281
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 990
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 881
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar middle 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 (~803 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest Middle's federal record.
- Compare Southwest Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Parkway C-2'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 Middle
How many students attend Southwest Middle?
Southwest Middle has 803 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ballwin, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Middle is 16.4:1, which is 28% 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 Middle?
15.0% of students at Southwest Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Middle?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Middle is White at 70.0% of enrollment, in Ballwin, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Middle?
Southwest Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher 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 Middle rank among public schools in Ballwin?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Middle ranks #6 of 12 public schools in Ballwin, 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 Ballwin on the city page.
Is Southwest Middle a good school?
Southwest Middle earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of 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 Parkway C-2?
Besides Southwest Middle, Parkway C-2 also operates South High (1,485 students), West High (1,417 students), and Central High (1,281 students). See the Parkway C-2 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.