Enrollment
310
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 200819001300
Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High — Kismet, KS
Federal NCES profile for Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 Attendance 0
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: Kismet-Plains · Kansas
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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.8%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High compares with Kansas 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
Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High reports 310 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% below the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the Kansas average and 12% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 207 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 42.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kismet-Plains spends $18,199 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.2% from local sources (property taxes), 68.8% from the state, and 8.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), 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 Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.9:1 | ▼ 17% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.8% | ▲ 35% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 310 | top 54% | — | — |
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
57.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 26% in Kansas — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
42.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,199
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 207 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 310 Top 54% in Kansas — larger than 46% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.8% +35% vs state
NCES ID 200819001300
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 63.2%
White 34.2%
Two or More 1.3%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 207:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 42.9%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kismet-Plains, which includes Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High.
$18,199
Per student
+5%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.2%
State 68.8%
Federal 8.0%
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
- 152
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 113
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
Similar other schools in Kismet
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High
How many students attend Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High?
Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High has 310 students enrolled. It is a other school in Kismet, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High is 11.9:1, which is 17% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High?
57.8% of students at Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High?
The largest demographic group at Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High is Hispanic or Latino at 63.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Kismet, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High?
Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.