High school (grades 9-12) · Westerville, OH

Westerville-South High School

Federal NCES profile for Westerville-South High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 390450401962
0/100100/10041/100
👥 S:T ratio
34
📚 AP courses
65
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
25
📋 Attendance
9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Westerville-South High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median. It is also one of the largest schools in Ohio.

#2 of 3
high schools in Westerville · Resource Index
41
Resource Index · Typical
16.6:1
students per teacher
32.1%
free-lunch eligible

Westerville-South High School has class sizes near the Ohio median. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Westerville-South High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Westerville, OH.

School address

Enrollment

1,509

Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

91.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.6:1

vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg

-9% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

32.1%

vs 31.6% Ohio avg

+2% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Westerville-South High School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Westerville-South High School

Westerville-South High School is a large high school in Westerville, Ohio, enrolling 1,509 students.

At 16.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Ohio median, within a few percentage points of the 18.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 32.1% lands close to the Ohio typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Ohio, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,509 students.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,574 scored Ohio schools.

Against 108 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #45.

Its student body is led by White (43%) and African American (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 377 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Westerville's high schools, it stands alongside Westerville-North High School (1,587 students): Westerville-South High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.6:1 vs 18:1).

Westerville City also operates Westerville-North High School (1,587 students) and Westerville Central High School (1,485 students) alongside Westerville-South High 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 Westerville-South High School compares

Westerville-South High School on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Ohio Ohio avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16.6:1 ▼ 9% 18.2:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 32.1% ▲ 2% 31.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,509 top 2% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,509
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
32.1%
free-lunch eligible - 2% above the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher - 9% below state mean
Top 43% in Ohio - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
36.2%
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
$13,682
per pupil, district-wide - below Ohio avg of $14,655
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 377 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
101
in-school suspensions + 64 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.

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 43.0%
African American 31.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Two or More 9.8%
Asian 5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: White at 43.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 69.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 69.3, Westerville-South High School is more mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.

Programs

AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Westerville City, which includes Westerville-South High School.

$13,682
Per student
-7%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.1%
State 22.7%
Federal 9.3%

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 Westerville-South High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Westerville-North High School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Westerville Central High School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Genoa Middle School Smaller Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Walnut Springs Middle School Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Blendon Middle School Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Westerville-South High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Westerville City · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Westerville

2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Westerville-South High School's federal record.

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 Westerville-South High School

How many students attend Westerville-South High School?

Westerville-South High School has 1,509 students enrolled. It is a high school in Westerville, OH.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Westerville-South High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Westerville-South High School is 16.6:1, which is 9% lower than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 6% higher 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 Westerville-South High School?

32.1% of students at Westerville-South High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westerville-South High School?

The largest demographic group at Westerville-South High School is White at 43.0% of enrollment, in Westerville, OH. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Westerville-South High School?

Westerville-South High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Westerville-South High School rank among high schools in Westerville?

By Resource Investment Index, Westerville-South High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Westerville, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Westerville on the city page.

Is Westerville-South High School a good school?

Westerville-South High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median. It is also one of the largest schools in Ohio. 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 Westerville City?

Besides Westerville-South High School, Westerville City also operates Westerville-North High School (1,587 students), Westerville Central High School (1,485 students), and Genoa Middle School (702 students). See the Westerville City district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.