Enrollment
818
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510015201883
Alleghany High — Covington, VA
Federal NCES profile for Alleghany High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 54
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 35
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: Alleghany Highlands 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)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.2%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alleghany High 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
Alleghany High reports 818 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 50.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 27% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 83.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% above the Virginia average and 61% above the national baseline. The school offers 5 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 273 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alleghany Highlands Public Schools spends $14,502 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.4% from local sources (property taxes), 53.3% from the state, and 11.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Alleghany High 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 17% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.2% | ▲ 39% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 818 | top 77% | — | — |
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
83.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% above the Virginia average of 59.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 14% in Virginia — lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,502
per pupil, district-wide
— below Virginia avg of $16,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 273 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
49
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 818 Top 77% in Virginia — larger than 23% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 50.0
Students per teacher 11.6:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 83.2% +39% vs state
NCES ID 510015201883
Student demographics
White 81.4%
African American 7.1%
Two or More 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 81.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 273:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.9%
In-school suspensions 49
Out-of-school suspensions 44
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alleghany Highlands Public Schools, which includes Alleghany High.
$14,502
Per student
-11%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.4%
State 53.3%
Federal 11.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 594
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
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 Alleghany High
How many students attend Alleghany High?
Alleghany High has 818 students enrolled. It is a high school in Covington, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alleghany High?
The student-teacher ratio at Alleghany High is 11.6:1, which is 17% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 27% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alleghany High?
83.2% of students at Alleghany High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alleghany High?
The largest demographic group at Alleghany High is White at 81.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Covington, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alleghany High?
Alleghany High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) 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.