Enrollment
448
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bedford, VA
Bedford Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bedford Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 510036002141
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bedford Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Virginia schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Bedford · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 85.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Bedford Elementary has class sizes larger than 74% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bedford Elementary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Bedford, VA.
School address
District: Bedford County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510036002141 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.4%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bedford Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bedford Elementary
Bedford Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Bedford, Virginia, enrolling 448 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 448 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 449 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #278.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 448 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Bedford County Public Schools also operates Jefferson Forest High (1,282 students) and Forest Middle (854 students) alongside Bedford 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 Bedford Elementary compares
Bedford 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 | 15.4:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.4% | ▲ 48% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 448 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
448
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 74% in Virginia - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,790
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 448 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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
White 69.6%
African American 16.1%
Two or More 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.9, Bedford Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bedford County Public Schools, which includes Bedford Elementary.
$12,790
Per student
-13%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 52.1%
Federal 15.7%
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 Bedford Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Forest High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Forest Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Staunton River High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Liberty High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Staunton River Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bedford Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,282
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar elementary 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 (~448 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bedford Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bedford Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bedford County 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 Bedford Elementary
How many students attend Bedford Elementary?
Bedford Elementary has 448 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bedford, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bedford Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bedford Elementary is 15.4:1, which is 11% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bedford Elementary?
85.4% of students at Bedford Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bedford Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bedford Elementary is White at 69.6% of enrollment, in Bedford, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bedford Elementary?
Bedford Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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 Bedford Elementary rank among public schools in Bedford?
By Resource Investment Index, Bedford Elementary ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Bedford, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bedford on the city page.
Is Bedford Elementary a good school?
Bedford Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% 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 Bedford County Public Schools?
Besides Bedford Elementary, Bedford County Public Schools also operates Jefferson Forest High (1,282 students), Forest Middle (854 students), and Staunton River High (816 students). See the Bedford County 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.