Enrollment
218
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Kinston, NC
Southwood Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Southwood Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 370261001095
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwood Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina schools.
- #1 of 4
- elementary schools in Kinston · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.9:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 98.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwood Elementary has class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwood Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Kinston, NC.
School address
District: Lenoir County Public Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370261001095 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwood Elementary compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwood Elementary
Southwood Elementary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Kinston, North Carolina, enrolling 218 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.9:1, Southwood Elementary is leaner than roughly 92% of North Carolina schools and 31% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 98.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 218 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 192 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #68.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 218 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Kinston's elementary schools, it stands alongside Northwest Elementary (504 students): Southwood Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.9:1 vs 18:1).
Lenoir County Public Schools also operates North Lenoir High (957 students) and Contentnea-Savannah School (789 students) alongside Southwood Elementary.
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 Southwood Elementary compares
Southwood Elementary on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.9:1 | ▼ 31% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.8% | ▲ 50% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 218 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
218
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% above the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 8% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
47.7%
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
$12,373
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
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 218 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.8 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 64.2%
African American 15.6%
Hispanic or Latino 14.7%
Two or More 5.5%
Largest group: White at 64.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.9, Southwood Elementary is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lenoir County Public Schools, which includes Southwood Elementary.
$12,373
Per student
+3%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.9%
State 65.3%
Federal 22.9%
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 Southwood Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Lenoir High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Contentnea-Savannah School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Lenoir High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kinston High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodington Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southwood Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 957
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 789
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 659
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary schools in Kinston
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~218 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwood Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Southwood Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Lenoir County Public 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 Southwood Elementary
How many students attend Southwood Elementary?
Southwood Elementary has 218 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Kinston, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwood Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwood Elementary is 10.9:1, which is 31% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 31% 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 Southwood Elementary?
98.8% of students at Southwood Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwood Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Southwood Elementary is White at 64.2% of enrollment, in Kinston, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwood Elementary?
Southwood Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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 Southwood Elementary rank among elementary schools in Kinston?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwood Elementary ranks #1 of 4 elementary schools in Kinston, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Kinston on the city page.
Is Southwood Elementary a good school?
Southwood Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of North Carolina 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 Lenoir County Public Schools?
Besides Southwood Elementary, Lenoir County Public Schools also operates North Lenoir High (957 students), Contentnea-Savannah School (789 students), and South Lenoir High (721 students). See the Lenoir County Public 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.