Enrollment
302
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 262034005718
Southwood Elementary — Grand Rapids, MI
Federal NCES profile for Southwood Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 15/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 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: Kentwood Public Schools · Michigan
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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.1%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwood Elementary compares with Michigan 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
Southwood Elementary reports 302 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% above the Michigan average and 49% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1510 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 48.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kentwood Public Schools spends $16,672 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.0% from local sources (property taxes), 50.9% from the state, and 15.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F), 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 Southwood Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▼ 4% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.1% | ▲ 42% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 302 | top 41% | — | — |
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
77.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 56% in Michigan — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.7%
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
$16,672
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Per 1510 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 302 Top 41% in Michigan — larger than 59% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.1% +42% vs state
NCES ID 262034005718
Student demographics
White 36.1%
Hispanic or Latino 25.8%
African American 22.5%
Two or More 10.9%
Asian 4.6%
Largest group: White at 36.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.2
Students per counselor 1510:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 48.7%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kentwood Public Schools, which includes Southwood Elementary.
$16,672
Per student
+5%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.0%
State 50.9%
Federal 15.0%
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
- 2,068
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 842
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 742
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 700
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Grand Rapids
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Walker Charter Academy
Standard public school
711 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Discovery Elementary
Standard public school
674 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Vista Charter Academy
Standard public school
641 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Endeavor Elementary
Standard public school
553 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Glenwood Elementary
Standard public school
543 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Kenowa Hills Central Elementary School
Standard public school
538 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
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 Southwood Elementary
How many students attend Southwood Elementary?
Southwood Elementary has 302 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in GRAND RAPIDS, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwood Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwood Elementary is 17.5:1, which is 4% lower than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 10% higher 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 Southwood Elementary?
77.1% of students at Southwood Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwood Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Southwood Elementary is White at 36.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in GRAND RAPIDS, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwood Elementary?
Southwood Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (F) 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.