Enrollment
1,675
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Memphis, TN
Southwind High
Federal NCES profile for Southwind High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 470014802137
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwind High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee.
- #21 of 35
- high schools in Memphis · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26.6:1
- large classes for Tennessee
- 1,675
- students enrolled
Southwind High has class sizes larger than 98% of Tennessee schools. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwind High ranks #21 of 35 high schools in Memphis, TN.
School address
District: Memphis-Shelby County Schools · Tennessee
NCES ID 470014802137 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.6:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwind High compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwind High
Southwind High is a large high school in Memphis, Tennessee, enrolling 1,675 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.6:1 is larger than about 98% of Tennessee schools and 74% above the 15.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,675 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is predominantly African American (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Memphis-Shelby County Schools spends $13,650 per pupil, 26% above the Tennessee average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 28.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Memphis's high schools, it stands alongside White Station High (2,046 students): Southwind High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (26.6:1 vs 18.9:1).
Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students) and White Station High (2,046 students) alongside Southwind High.
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 Southwind High compares
Southwind High on the metrics families compare, against Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.6:1 | ▲ 74% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,675 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.6:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,675
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
26.6:1
students per teacher
- 74% above state mean
Top 98% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$13,650
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 279 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 81.0%
Hispanic or Latino 14.9%
Two or More 3.1%
White 0.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 81.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.1, Southwind High is less mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which includes Southwind High.
$13,650
Per student
+26%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 37.0%
Federal 28.5%
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.
How Southwind High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cordova High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| White Station High | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Germantown High | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Whitehaven High | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dexter School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwind High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,251
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,046
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,719
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,509
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,509
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high schools in Memphis
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
White Station High
Standard public school
2,046 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Whitehaven High
Standard public school
1,509 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Overton High
Standard public school
1,417 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Kingsbury High
Standard public school
1,383 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Central High
Standard public school
1,331 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Craigmont High
Standard public school
968 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Tennessee, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,675 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwind High's federal record.
- Compare Southwind High against another school. Compare schools
- Memphis-Shelby County Schools'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 Southwind High
How many students attend Southwind High?
Southwind High has 1,675 students enrolled. It is a high school in Memphis, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwind High?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwind High is 26.6:1, which is 74% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwind High?
The largest demographic group at Southwind High is African American at 81.0% of enrollment, in Memphis, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwind High?
Southwind High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Southwind High rank among high schools in Memphis?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwind High ranks #21 of 35 high schools in Memphis, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Memphis on the city page.
Is Southwind High a good school?
Southwind High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Tennessee schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Tennessee. 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 Memphis-Shelby County Schools?
Besides Southwind High, Memphis-Shelby County Schools also operates Cordova High School (2,251 students), White Station High (2,046 students), and Germantown High (1,719 students). See the Memphis-Shelby County Schools 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.