Enrollment
4,655
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510012000054
Alexandria City High School — Alexandria, VA
Federal NCES profile for Alexandria City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 70
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: Alexandria City Public Schools · Virginia
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)
324.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.4%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alexandria City High School compares with Virginia 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
Alexandria City High School reports 4,655 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 324.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% below the Virginia average and 24% below the national baseline. The school offers 34 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 291 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 12.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alexandria City Public Schools spends $21,602 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 70.8% from local sources (property taxes), 17.5% from the state, and 11.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), calculated from 5 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 Alexandria City High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Virginia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14:1 | ▼ 0% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.4% | ▼ 34% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 4,655 | top 100% | — | — |
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
39.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% below the Virginia average of 59.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 52% in Virginia — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
12.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$21,602
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $16,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors16.0 FTE
Per 291 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
78
in-school suspensions + 158 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 4,655 Top 100% in Virginia — larger than 0% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 324.0
Students per teacher 14:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.4% -34% vs state
NCES ID 510012000054
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 42.4%
African American 25.1%
White 24.0%
Asian 5.3%
Two or More 2.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 42.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 34
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 16.0
Students per counselor 291:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 12.1%
In-school suspensions 78
Out-of-school suspensions 158
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alexandria City Public Schools, which includes Alexandria City High School.
$21,602
Per student
+33%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 70.8%
State 17.5%
Federal 11.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,597
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 1,458
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,075
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 933
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Similar high schools in Alexandria
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
West Potomac High
Standard public school
2,710 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Edison High
Standard public school
2,294 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Thomas Jefferson High for Science and Technology
Standard public school
2,108 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Mount Vernon High
Standard public school
1,858 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Bryant High
Alternative education program
154 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
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 Alexandria City High School
How many students attend Alexandria City High School?
Alexandria City High School has 4,655 students enrolled. It is a high school in Alexandria, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alexandria City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alexandria City High School is 14:1, which is 0% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alexandria City High School?
39.4% of students at Alexandria City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alexandria City High School?
The largest demographic group at Alexandria City High School is Hispanic or Latino at 42.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Alexandria, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alexandria City High School?
Alexandria City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.