Other / mixed grade configuration · Newport News, VA

Achievable Dream Academy

Federal NCES profile for Achievable Dream Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510264002343
0/100100/10031/100
👥 S:T ratio
31
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Achievable Dream Academy earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Virginia schools.

#23 of 27
schools in Newport News · Resource Index
31
Resource Index · Lower
17.3:1
large classes for Virginia
91.2%
free-lunch eligible

Achievable Dream Academy has class sizes larger than 93% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Achievable Dream Academy ranks #23 of 27 schools in Newport News, VA.

Enrollment

641

Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

37.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.3:1

vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg

+24% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

91.2%

vs 57.6% Virginia avg

+58% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Achievable Dream Academy compares with Virginia and U.S. medians

Larger classes than 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 Achievable Dream Academy

Achievable Dream Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Newport News, Virginia, enrolling 641 students.

Class loads run heavy: 17.3:1 is larger than about 93% of Virginia schools and 24% above the 13.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need is high: 91.2% of students qualify for free meals, 58% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 641 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 354 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #342, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly African American (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 641 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 17.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Newport News's public schools, it stands alongside Joseph H. Saunders Elementary (660 students): Achievable Dream Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.3:1 vs 17.4:1).

Newport News City Public Schools also operates Woodside High (1,723 students) and Menchville High (1,707 students) alongside Achievable Dream Academy.

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 Achievable Dream Academy compares

Achievable Dream Academy on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Virginia Virginia avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.3:1 ▲ 24% 13.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 91.2% ▲ 58% 57.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 641 top 38% - -

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

17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
641
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
91.2%
free-lunch eligible - 58% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher - 24% above state mean
Top 93% in Virginia - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.5%
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
$15,115
per pupil, district-wide - above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 641 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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

African American 82.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
Two or More 6.2%
White 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Asian 0.2%

Largest group: African American at 82.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 31.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 31.4, Achievable Dream Academy is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newport News City Public Schools, which includes Achievable Dream Academy.

$15,115
Per student
+3%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.8%
State 50.6%
Federal 17.7%

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 Achievable Dream Academy Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Woodside High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Menchville High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Warwick High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Denbigh High Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Heritage High Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Achievable Dream Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Newport News City Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Newport News

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

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

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Achievable Dream Academy'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 Achievable Dream Academy

How many students attend Achievable Dream Academy?

Achievable Dream Academy has 641 students enrolled. It is a public school in Newport News, VA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Achievable Dream Academy?

The student-teacher ratio at Achievable Dream Academy is 17.3:1, which is 24% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Achievable Dream Academy?

91.2% of students at Achievable Dream Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Achievable Dream Academy?

The largest demographic group at Achievable Dream Academy is African American at 82.1% of enrollment, in Newport News, VA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Achievable Dream Academy?

Achievable Dream Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Achievable Dream Academy rank among schools in Newport News?

By Resource Investment Index, Achievable Dream Academy ranks #23 of 27 schools in Newport News, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Newport News on the city page.

Is Achievable Dream Academy a good school?

Achievable Dream Academy earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Virginia 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 Newport News City Public Schools?

Besides Achievable Dream Academy, Newport News City Public Schools also operates Woodside High (1,723 students), Menchville High (1,707 students), and Warwick High (1,622 students). See the Newport News City Public Schools 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.