Essex County Public Schools

Public school district · Essex County · Virginia · NCES district ID 5101200

Essex County Public Schools spent $17,613 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 84% of the other Virginia districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $14,972). Its 3 schools enrolled 1,092 students in 2024-25; 46.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $17,158 per student, down 2.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 90-94% (Virginia: 88.8%).

Spending per student among Virginia districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Essex County Public Schools in enrollment (998 to 1,393 students) and Essex County Public Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Virginia districts closest in size to Essex County Public Schools, FY23Sussex County Public Schools $24,850; Northumberland County Public Schools $18,689; Franklin City Public Schools $18,288; Cumberland County Public Schools $17,801; Essex County Public Schools $17,613; Lancaster County Public Schools $16,962; Middlesex County Public Schools $16,498; Northampton County Public Schools $15,918; Richmond County School Board $14,612; Galax City Public Schools $14,113; State median, 1,000+ students $14,972.10k15k20k25k30kSussex County Public Schools$24,850Northumberland County Public S…$18,689Franklin City Public Schools$18,288Cumberland County Public Schoo…$17,801Essex County Public Schools$17,613Lancaster County Public Schools$16,962Middlesex County Public Schools$16,498Northampton County Public Scho…$15,918Richmond County School Board$14,612Galax City Public Schools$14,113State median, 1,000+ students $14,972
Current spending per student, Virginia districts closest in size to Essex County Public Schools, FY23Sussex County Public Schools $24,850; Northumberland County Public Schools $18,689; Franklin City Public Schools $18,288; Cumberland County Public Schools $17,801; Essex County Public Schools $17,613; Lancaster County Public Schools $16,962; Middlesex County Public Schools $16,498; Northampton County Public Schools $15,918; Richmond County School Board $14,612; Galax City Public Schools $14,113; State median, 1,000+ students $14,972.10k15k20k25k30kSussex County Public Schools$24,850Northumberland County Public Schools$18,689Franklin City Public Schools$18,288Cumberland County Public Schools$17,801Essex County Public Schools$17,613Lancaster County Public Schools$16,962Middlesex County Public Schools$16,498Northampton County Public Schools$15,918Richmond County School Board$14,612Galax City Public Schools$14,113State median, 1,000+ students $14,972
Current spending per student, Virginia districts closest in size to Essex County Public Schools, FY23Sussex County Public Schools $24,850; Northumberland County Public Schools $18,689; Franklin City Public Schools $18,288; Cumberland County Public Schools $17,801; Essex County Public Schools $17,613; Lancaster County Public Schools $16,962; Middlesex County Public Schools $16,498; Northampton County Public Schools $15,918; Richmond County School Board $14,612; Galax City Public Schools $14,113; State median, 1,000+ students $14,972.10k20k30kSussex County Public Schools$24,850Northumberland County Public Schools$18,689Franklin City Public Schools$18,288Cumberland County Public Schools$17,801Essex County Public Schools$17,613Lancaster County Public Schools$16,962Middlesex County Public Schools$16,498Northampton County Public Schools$15,918Richmond County School Board$14,612Galax City Public Schools$14,113State median, 1,000+ students $14,972
Current spending per student, Virginia districts closest in size to Essex County Public Schools, FY23Sussex County Public Schools $24,850; Northumberland County Public Schools $18,689; Franklin City Public Schools $18,288; Cumberland County Public Schools $17,801; Essex County Public Schools $17,613; Lancaster County Public Schools $16,962; Middlesex County Public Schools $16,498; Northampton County Public Schools $15,918; Richmond County School Board $14,612; Galax City Public Schools $14,113; State median, 1,000+ students $14,972.10k20k30kSussex County Public Schools$24,850Northumberland County Public Schools$18,689Franklin City Public Schools$18,288Cumberland County Public Schools$17,801Essex County Public Schools$17,613Lancaster County Public Schools$16,962Middlesex County Public Schools$16,498Northampton County Public Schools$15,918Richmond County School Board$14,612Galax City Public Schools$14,113State median, 1,000+ students $14,972

Where the money came from

$25,670,000 in revenue: 46.7% state, 35.1% local and 18.2% federal. Total spending including $2,523,000 of capital outlay was $24,605,000, or $20,834 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Essex County Public Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $11,980,000; Local $9,019,000; Federal $4,671,000; total $25,670,000.
  • State$11,980,000 47%
  • Local$9,019,000 35%
  • Federal$4,671,000 18%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 116 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

1,181 students in 2022-23, 1,163 students in 2023-24, 1,092 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Essex County Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,181, 2023-24: 1,163, 2024-25: 1,09205001k1.5k2022-231,1812023-241,1632024-251,092
Essex County Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,181, 2023-24: 1,163, 2024-25: 1,09205001k1.5k2022-231,1812023-241,1632024-251,092
Essex County Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,181, 2023-24: 1,163, 2024-25: 1,09205001k1.5k2022-231,1812023-241,1632024-251,092
Essex County Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,181, 2023-24: 1,163, 2024-25: 1,09205001k1.5k2022-231,1812023-241,1632024-251,092

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,18197.312.1
2023-241,16388.013.2
2024-251,09287.712.5

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$6,091,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,157 per student

Essex County Public Schools booked $6,091,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 100 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $61,216 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 47 in 100 Virginia districts with a figure (state median $61,899, 129 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Virginia teacher salary at $59,965 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$4,383,00072.0%
Special education$1,235,00020.3%
Vocational$438,0007.2%
Other programs$35,0000.6%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,157 in 2018-19, $4,236 in 2019-20, $4,640 in 2020-21, $4,059 in 2021-22, $5,157 in 2022-23.

Essex County Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,157, 2019-20: $4,236, 2020-21: $4,640, 2021-22: $4,059, 2022-23: $5,15702k4k6k2018-19$4,1572019-20$4,2362020-21$4,6402021-22$4,0592022-23$5,157
Essex County Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,157, 2019-20: $4,236, 2020-21: $4,640, 2021-22: $4,059, 2022-23: $5,15702k4k6k2018-19$4,1572019-20$4,2362020-21$4,6402021-22$4,0592022-23$5,157
Essex County Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,157, 2019-20: $4,236, 2020-21: $4,640, 2021-22: $4,059, 2022-23: $5,15702k4k6k2018-19$4,1572019-20$4,2362020-21$4,6402021-22$4,0592022-23$5,157
Essex County Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,157, 2019-20: $4,236, 2020-21: $4,640, 2021-22: $4,059, 2022-23: $5,15702k4k6k2018-19$4,1572019-20$4,2362020-21$4,6402021-22$4,0592022-23$5,157

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

Graduation rate, class of 2023

90-94% of the 105 students in Essex County Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 88.8% across Virginia. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtVirginia
Four-year graduation rate90‑94%88.8%
Students in the class10599,059

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

1 elementary school, 400 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Tappahannock Elementary40012.5All free (CEP)Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 299 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
James H. Cary Intermediate29911.199.7%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 high school, 393 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Essex High39313.7All free (CEP)Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Essex County Public Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Essex County Public Schools

  1. Virginia districts by spending per studentEssex County Public Schools ranks 19 of 116 Virginia districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($17,613).#19 of 116
  2. Every school district in VirginiaEssex County Public Schools is the number 114 by size of 132 Virginia districts, with 1,181 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#114 of 132
  3. Northumberland County Public SchoolsThe next larger Virginia district: 1,200 students in fall 2022, $18,689 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,689
  4. Lancaster County Public SchoolsThe next smaller Virginia district: 1,039 students in fall 2022, $16,962 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$16,962
  5. Compare Essex County Public Schools with Northumberland County Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Essex High, its largest high school393 students in 2024-25, 13.7 per teacher.393
  7. Teacher salary spending across VirginiaEssex County Public Schools spent $61,216 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $61,899); spending, not a salary.$61,216
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Essex County Public Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Essex County Public Schools?
    3 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high), enrolling 1,092 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Essex County Public Schools spend per student?
    $17,613 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Virginia median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $14,972 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $17,158 per student, down 2.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Essex County Public Schools' money come from?
    $25,670,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 46.7% state, 35.1% local and 18.2% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Essex County Public Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 257 of the 1,397 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 18.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Essex County Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $6,091,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,157 per student. Divided by the 100 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $61,216 per teacher, more than 47 in 100 Virginia districts (state median $61,899). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Virginia teacher salary at $59,965 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. What is the graduation rate in Essex County Public Schools?
    90-94% of the 105 students in Essex County Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 88.8% across Virginia. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  7. What is Essex County Public Schools' NCES district ID?
    5101200. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25