Enrollment
264
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Shelbyville, IN
Southwestern High School
Federal NCES profile for Southwestern High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 181083001769
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwestern High School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- #1 of 4
- schools in Shelbyville · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 43.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwestern High School has class sizes smaller than 94% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwestern High School ranks #1 of 4 schools in Shelbyville, IN.
School address
District: Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co · Indiana
NCES ID 181083001769 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.4%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwestern High School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwestern High School
Southwestern High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Shelbyville, Indiana, enrolling 264 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.6:1, Southwestern High School is leaner than roughly 94% of Indiana schools and 33% under the state's 15.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.4% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 264 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 292 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #59.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 264 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Shelbyville's public schools, it stands alongside Southwestern Elementary School (405 students): Southwestern High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.6:1 vs 16.9:1).
Its district, Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co, also runs Southwestern Elementary School (405 students).
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 Southwestern High School compares
Southwestern High School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.6:1 | ▼ 33% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.4% | ▼ 12% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 264 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
264
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 6% in Indiana - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,502
per pupil, district-wide
- below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 264 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 93.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
Two or More 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 93.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.1, Southwestern High School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co, which includes Southwestern High School.
$10,502
Per student
-13%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.3%
State 56.6%
Federal 9.1%
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 Southwestern High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwestern High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools in Shelbyville
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~264 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwestern High School's federal record.
- Compare Southwestern High School against another school. Compare schools
- Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co'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 Southwestern High School
How many students attend Southwestern High School?
Southwestern High School has 264 students enrolled. It is a public school in Shelbyville, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwestern High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwestern High School is 10.6:1, which is 33% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 32% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwestern High School?
43.4% of students at Southwestern High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwestern High School?
The largest demographic group at Southwestern High School is White at 93.6% of enrollment, in Shelbyville, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwestern High School?
Southwestern High School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Southwestern High School rank among schools in Shelbyville?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwestern High School ranks #1 of 4 schools in Shelbyville, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Shelbyville on the city page.
Is Southwestern High School a good school?
Southwestern High School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana 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 Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co?
Besides Southwestern High School, Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co also operates Southwestern Elementary School (405 students). See the Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co 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.