Enrollment
274
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Richmond, VA
Barack Obama Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Barack Obama Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510324000381
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 92
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Barack Obama Elementary earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Virginia schools.
- #2 of 63
- schools in Richmond · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.5:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 99.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Barack Obama Elementary has class sizes smaller than 72% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Barack Obama Elementary ranks #2 of 63 schools in Richmond, VA.
School address
District: Richmond City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510324000381 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.3%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Barack Obama Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Barack Obama Elementary
Barack Obama Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Richmond, Virginia, enrolling 274 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 99.3% of students qualify for free meals, 72% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 274 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 143 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #6, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (73%) and White (18%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 274 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
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.
Among Richmond's public schools, it stands alongside Elizabeth Holladay Elementary (859 students): Barack Obama Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.5:1 vs 16.2:1).
Richmond City Public Schools also operates Huguenot High (1,469 students) and River City Middle (1,150 students) alongside Barack Obama Elementary.
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 Barack Obama Elementary compares
Barack Obama Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 10% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 99.3% | ▲ 72% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 274 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
274
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 28% in Virginia - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
3.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 274 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.4 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 73.0%
White 17.9%
Two or More 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 73.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.1, Barack Obama Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richmond City Public Schools, which includes Barack Obama Elementary.
$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 Barack Obama Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huguenot High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| River City Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| George Wythe High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cardinal Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Barack Obama Elementary'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 other schools in Richmond
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Elizabeth Holladay Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Falling Creek Elementary
Standard public school
823 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Cardinal Elementary
Standard public school
821 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Maybeury Elementary
Standard public school
691 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Dumbarton Elementary
Standard public school
684 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Tuckahoe Elementary
Standard public school
682 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~274 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Barack Obama Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Barack Obama Elementary 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 Barack Obama Elementary
How many students attend Barack Obama Elementary?
Barack Obama Elementary has 274 students enrolled. It is a public school in Richmond, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Barack Obama Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Barack Obama Elementary is 12.5:1, which is 10% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 20% 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 Barack Obama Elementary?
99.3% of students at Barack Obama Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Barack Obama Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Barack Obama Elementary is African American at 73.0% of enrollment, in Richmond, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barack Obama Elementary?
Barack Obama Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher 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 Barack Obama Elementary rank among schools in Richmond?
By Resource Investment Index, Barack Obama Elementary ranks #2 of 63 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 schools in Richmond on the city page.
Is Barack Obama Elementary a good school?
Barack Obama Elementary earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% 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 Richmond City Public Schools?
Besides Barack Obama Elementary, 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.