Enrollment
709
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Richmond, VA
Armstrong High
Federal NCES profile for Armstrong High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510324002082
👥 S:T ratio 66
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Armstrong High earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #5 of 15
- high schools in Richmond · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.6:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 90.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Armstrong High has class sizes smaller than 98% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Armstrong High ranks #5 of 15 high schools in Richmond, VA.
School address
District: Richmond City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510324002082 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
82.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.2%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Armstrong High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Armstrong High
Armstrong High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Richmond, Virginia, enrolling 709 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.6:1, Armstrong High is leaner than roughly 98% of Virginia schools and 38% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 90.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 709 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 320 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #90.
Its student body is predominantly African American (86% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 26/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 177 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Richmond City Public Schools spends $21,583 per pupil, 47% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 25.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 399 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 709 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Richmond's high schools, it stands alongside John Randolph Tucker High (2,132 students): Armstrong High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.6:1 vs 19.7:1).
Richmond City Public Schools also operates Huguenot High (1,469 students) and River City Middle (1,150 students) alongside Armstrong High.
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 Armstrong High compares
Armstrong High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.6:1 | ▼ 38% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.2% | ▲ 57% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 709 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.6:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
709
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
90.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.6:1
students per teacher
- 38% below state mean
Top 2% in Virginia - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.2%
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
$21,583
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 177 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 370 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 56.3 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 85.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
White 3.9%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 85.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.2, Armstrong High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richmond City Public Schools, which includes Armstrong High.
$21,583
Per student
+47%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.0%
State 34.3%
Federal 25.7%
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 Armstrong High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huguenot High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| River City Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George Wythe High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cardinal Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Armstrong High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,469
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,150
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,116
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 821
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 749
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar high schools in Richmond
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
John Randolph Tucker High
Standard public school
2,132 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Douglas S. Freeman High
Standard public school
1,881 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Hermitage High
Standard public school
1,719 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Mills E. Godwin High
Standard public school
1,702 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Monacan High
Standard public school
1,644 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Huguenot High
Standard public school
1,469 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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.
Similar enrollment (~709 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Armstrong High's federal record.
- Compare Armstrong High against another school. Compare schools
- Richmond City Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Armstrong High
How many students attend Armstrong High?
Armstrong High has 709 students enrolled. It is a high school in Richmond, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Armstrong High?
The student-teacher ratio at Armstrong High is 8.6:1, which is 38% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 45% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Armstrong High?
90.2% of students at Armstrong High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Armstrong High?
The largest demographic group at Armstrong High is African American at 85.5% of enrollment, in Richmond, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Armstrong High?
Armstrong High has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Armstrong High rank among high schools in Richmond?
By Resource Investment Index, Armstrong High ranks #5 of 15 high schools in Richmond, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Richmond on the city page.
Is Armstrong High a good school?
Armstrong High earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Richmond City Public Schools?
Besides Armstrong High, Richmond City Public Schools also operates Huguenot High (1,469 students), River City Middle (1,150 students), and George Wythe High (1,116 students). See the Richmond City Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.