Enrollment
280
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Hanover, IN
Southwestern Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Southwestern Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 181080002547
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwestern Middle School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Indiana schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Hanover · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 57.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwestern Middle School has class sizes smaller than 86% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwestern Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Hanover, IN.
School address
District: Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con · Indiana
NCES ID 181080002547 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.8%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwestern Middle School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwestern Middle School
Southwestern Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Hanover, Indiana, enrolling 280 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.2:1, Southwestern Middle School is leaner than roughly 86% of Indiana schools and 23% under the state's 15.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 57.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 280 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 297 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #110.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 187 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 16.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 85 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 280 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con also operates Southwestern Elementary School (633 students) and Southwestern High School (350 students) alongside Southwestern Middle School.
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 Middle School compares
Southwestern Middle 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 23% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.8% | ▲ 17% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% above the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 14% in Indiana - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.6%
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
$11,750
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 187 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 55 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.4 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 88.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 88.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.7, Southwestern Middle School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con, which includes Southwestern Middle School.
$11,750
Per student
-3%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 61.0%
Federal 16.9%
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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southwestern High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwestern Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 633
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 350
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar middle 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 (~280 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwestern Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Southwestern Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con'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 Middle School
How many students attend Southwestern Middle School?
Southwestern Middle School has 280 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hanover, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwestern Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwestern Middle School is 12.2:1, which is 23% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 22% 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 Middle School?
57.8% of students at Southwestern Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwestern Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Southwestern Middle School is White at 88.2% of enrollment, in Hanover, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwestern Middle School?
Southwestern Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Southwestern Middle School rank among public schools in Hanover?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwestern Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Hanover, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Hanover on the city page.
Is Southwestern Middle School a good school?
Southwestern Middle School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of 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-Jefferson Co Con?
Besides Southwestern Middle School, Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con also operates Southwestern Elementary School (633 students) and Southwestern High School (350 students). See the Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con 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.