Enrollment
343
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 270000501770
United South Central High School — Wells, MN
Federal NCES profile for United South Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 48
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: United South Central Schools · Minnesota
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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 15.9:1 Minnesota avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.0%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How United South Central High School compares with Minnesota 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
United South Central High School reports 343 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the Minnesota state mean of 15.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% above the Minnesota average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 343 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding United South Central Schools spends $16,263 per pupil district-wide, below the Minnesota average of $21,113 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.6% from local sources (property taxes), 62.5% from the state, and 13.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 United South Central High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Minnesota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▼ 0% | 15.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.0% | ▲ 5% | 42.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 58% | — | — |
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
45.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 63% in Minnesota — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.7%
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
$16,263
per pupil, district-wide
— below Minnesota avg of $21,113
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 343 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 343 Top 58% in Minnesota — larger than 42% of 2,391 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.0% +5% vs state
NCES ID 270000501770
Student demographics
White 80.2%
Hispanic or Latino 15.2%
Two or More 3.2%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 80.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 343:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.7%
In-school suspensions 22
Out-of-school suspensions 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for United South Central Schools, which includes United South Central High School.
$16,263
Per student
-23%
vs Minnesota
Avg $21,113
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 62.5%
Federal 13.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 420
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Similar other schools in Wells
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 United South Central High School
How many students attend United South Central High School?
United South Central High School has 343 students enrolled. It is a other school in WELLS, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at United South Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at United South Central High School is 15.9:1, which is 0% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.9:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at United South Central High School?
45.0% of students at United South Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of United South Central High School?
The largest demographic group at United South Central High School is White at 80.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in WELLS, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for United South Central High School?
United South Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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.