Enrollment
500
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510027000084
Barrett Elementary — Arlington, VA
Federal NCES profile for Barrett Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 58
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: Arlington 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)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.3%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Barrett 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
Barrett Elementary reports 500 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 57.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 33% 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 41% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the Virginia average and 43% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 313 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Arlington County Public Schools spends $27,865 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 79.4% from local sources (property taxes), 12.4% from the state, and 8.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Barrett 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 | 9.4:1 | ▼ 33% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.3% | ▲ 24% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 500 | top 42% | — | — |
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
74.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
9.4:1
students per teacher
— 33% below state mean
Top 2% in Virginia — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.8%
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
$27,865
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
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 313 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 500 Top 42% in Virginia — larger than 58% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 57.0
Students per teacher 9.4:1 -33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.3% +24% vs state
NCES ID 510027000084
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 57.4%
White 23.8%
African American 8.8%
Two or More 5.4%
Asian 4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.6
Students per counselor 313:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.8%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arlington County Public Schools, which includes Barrett Elementary.
$27,865
Per student
+72%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 79.4%
State 12.4%
Federal 8.2%
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
- 3,044
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,646
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,593
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 1,120
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
Similar other schools in Arlington
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Abingdon Elementary
Standard public school
768 students 11.5:1 students per teacher
Cardinal Elementary
Standard public school
682 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Oakridge Elementary
Standard public school
636 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Arlington Science Focus School
Standard public school
632 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Alice West Fleet Elementary
Standard public school
629 students 9:1 students per teacher
Arlington Traditional
Standard public school
624 students 13.9:1 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 Barrett Elementary
How many students attend Barrett Elementary?
Barrett Elementary has 500 students enrolled. It is a other school in Arlington, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Barrett Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Barrett Elementary is 9.4:1, which is 33% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 41% 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 Barrett Elementary?
74.3% of students at Barrett Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Barrett Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Barrett Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 57.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Arlington, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barrett Elementary?
Barrett Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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.