Franklin County Public Schools

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. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.

Rocky Mount, Virginia - 14 schools

An equity score of 46/100 ranks Franklin County Public Schools #76 of 131 districts in Virginia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $15,045 per pupil, Franklin County Public Schools ranks #67 of 131 Virginia districts by per-pupil spending (Virginia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

6,252
Total Enrollment
14
Schools
$15,045
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Franklin County Public Schools operates 14 public schools serving 6,252 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Virginia. The school portfolio breaks down into 12 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Franklin County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,045 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 131 Virginia districts by per-pupil spending. See how Virginia compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 40.5% local, 45.9% state, and 13.6% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 46/100, ranked #76 of 131 in Virginia against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 14 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 271.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 12.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 73.1% White, 8.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Rocky Mount Elementary, with a diversity index of 66.2/100.

Its largest campus is Franklin County High, enrolling 1,880 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Henry Elementary, at 172 students, a 11x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses held roughly steady from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (6,252 to 6,160 students, -1.5%), per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.

Of the district's $101,220,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 55.5% went to instruction, 32.9% to support services, and 4.8% to capital outlay, a fairly typical instruction/support/capital split for a public school district. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.

Franklin County High accounts for 28.7% of all Franklin County Public Schools student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Franklin County Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Franklin County Public Schools school enrollment varies 11× across entities

Franklin County Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 172 students (lowest) to 1,880 students (highest), a spread of 1,708 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Franklin County Public Schools reports 74.7% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Franklin County Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 271:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Franklin County Public Schools is typically wider than the Franklin County Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Franklin County Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 12.5% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

13.6%
Federal
45.9%
State
40.5%
Local

Funding Equity

46
Equity Score
76 / 131
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 14 schools in Franklin County Public Schools.

White 73.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
African American 7.0%
Multiracial 10.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 42.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Franklin County Public Schools's schools, below the Virginia average of 53.7.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Rocky Mount Elementary 66.2
  2. 2 Lee M. Waid Elementary 64.4
  3. 3 Sontag Elementary 58.4
  4. 4 Benjamin Franklin Middle 44.6
  5. 5 Franklin County High 41.9

Programs & Resources

1 / 14
Schools with AP
13 AP courses total
271.1:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
12.5%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Franklin County Public Schools

School Enrollment
Franklin County High
1,880
Benjamin Franklin Middle
1,382
Windy Gap Elementary
391
Lee M. Waid Elementary
386
Dudley Elementary
317
Rocky Mount Elementary
296
Boones Mill Elementary
290
Ferrum Elementary
281
Burnt Chimney Elementary
277
Sontag Elementary
248
Glade Hill Elementary
227
Snow Creek Elementary
226
Callaway Elementary
185
Henry Elementary
172

How Franklin County Public Schools Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Virginia districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Prince George County Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Wise County Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Harrisonburg City Public Schools Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Washington County Public Schools Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Danville City Public Schools Similar size Higher spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Franklin County Public Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Virginia

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Franklin County Public Schools

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Fairfax County Public Schools →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Franklin County Public Schools?

Franklin County Public Schools has 14 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 12 combined. Total enrollment is 6,252 students.

How much does Franklin County Public Schools spend per student?

Franklin County Public Schools spends $15,045 per student. The district has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #76 in Virginia.

What is the demographic composition of Franklin County Public Schools?

Franklin County Public Schools students are 73.1% White, 8.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% African American, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 14 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Franklin County Public Schools?

Franklin County Public Schools has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #76 out of 131 districts in Virginia.