Enrollment
307
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510021000067
Amherst Elementary — Amherst, VA
Federal NCES profile for Amherst Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 59
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: Amherst County 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.1%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Amherst Elementary 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
Amherst Elementary reports 307 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 29% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 78.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% above the Virginia average and 51% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 307 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Amherst County Public Schools spends $13,911 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.0% from local sources (property taxes), 58.7% from the state, and 16.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), calculated from 4 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 Amherst Elementary 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 19% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.1% | ▲ 30% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 307 | top 16% | — | — |
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
78.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 12% in Virginia — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.6%
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
$13,911
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 307 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 307 Top 16% in Virginia — larger than 84% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 11.3:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 78.1% +30% vs state
NCES ID 510021000067
Student demographics
White 62.9%
African American 15.0%
Two or More 11.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 62.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 307:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.6%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Amherst County Public Schools, which includes Amherst Elementary.
$13,911
Per student
-14%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.0%
State 58.7%
Federal 16.3%
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
- 1,240
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 371
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Similar other schools in Amherst
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Amherst Elementary
How many students attend Amherst Elementary?
Amherst Elementary has 307 students enrolled. It is a other school in Amherst, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Amherst Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Amherst Elementary is 11.3:1, which is 19% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 29% 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 Amherst Elementary?
78.1% of students at Amherst Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Amherst Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Amherst Elementary is White at 62.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Amherst, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Amherst Elementary?
Amherst Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.