Enrollment
850
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 510180000730
Benjamin Syms Middle — Hampton, VA
Federal NCES profile for Benjamin Syms Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 23
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: Hampton City 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)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.7%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benjamin Syms Middle 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
Benjamin Syms Middle reports 850 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 64.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 68.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% above the Virginia average and 33% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 425 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Hampton City Public Schools spends $14,917 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.6% from local sources (property taxes), 51.0% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 Benjamin Syms Middle 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 0% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.7% | ▲ 15% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 850 | top 79% | — | — |
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
68.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% 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
14:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 52% in Virginia — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,917
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 425 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 850 Top 79% in Virginia — larger than 21% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 64.0
Students per teacher 14:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 68.7% +15% vs state
NCES ID 510180000730
Student demographics
African American 49.9%
White 28.8%
Two or More 11.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 49.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 425:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hampton City Public Schools, which includes Benjamin Syms Middle.
$14,917
Per student
-8%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.6%
State 51.0%
Federal 17.4%
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
- 1,769
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,553
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,438
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,391
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,301
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
Similar middle schools in Hampton
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Cesar Tarrant Middle
Standard public school
737 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Francis W. Jones Magnet Middle
Standard public school
613 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
C. Alton Lindsay Middle
Standard public school
612 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Thomas Eaton Middle
Standard public school
581 students 13.4:1 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 Benjamin Syms Middle
How many students attend Benjamin Syms Middle?
Benjamin Syms Middle has 850 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hampton, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benjamin Syms Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Benjamin Syms Middle is 14:1, which is 0% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benjamin Syms Middle?
68.7% of students at Benjamin Syms Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benjamin Syms Middle?
The largest demographic group at Benjamin Syms Middle is African American at 49.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Hampton, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benjamin Syms Middle?
Benjamin Syms Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.