Enrollment
373
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Staunton, VA
Bessie Weller Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bessie Weller 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 510369001604
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bessie Weller Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Virginia schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Staunton · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 98.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Bessie Weller Elementary has class sizes smaller than 73% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bessie Weller Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Staunton, VA.
School address
District: Staunton City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510369001604 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.9%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bessie Weller Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bessie Weller Elementary
Bessie Weller Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Staunton, Virginia, enrolling 373 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 98.9% of students qualify for free meals, 72% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 373 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 245 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #144.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 373 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Staunton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary (449 students): Bessie Weller Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.4:1 vs 15:1).
Staunton City Public Schools also operates Staunton High (766 students) and Shelburne Middle (583 students) alongside Bessie Weller 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 Bessie Weller Elementary compares
Bessie Weller 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.9% | ▲ 72% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 373 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
373
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.9%
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
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 27% in Virginia - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$15,219
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 373 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.0 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 54.4%
Two or More 16.6%
African American 14.7%
Hispanic or Latino 11.8%
Asian 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 54.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.1, Bessie Weller Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Staunton City Public Schools, which includes Bessie Weller Elementary.
$15,219
Per student
+4%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.8%
State 46.7%
Federal 18.4%
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.
How Bessie Weller Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staunton High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shelburne Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Arthur R. Ware Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Staunton City School Preschool Programs | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Bessie Weller Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 372
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 149
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Staunton
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~373 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bessie Weller Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bessie Weller Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Staunton 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 Bessie Weller Elementary
How many students attend Bessie Weller Elementary?
Bessie Weller Elementary has 373 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Staunton, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bessie Weller Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bessie Weller Elementary is 12.4:1, which is 11% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 21% 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 Bessie Weller Elementary?
98.9% of students at Bessie Weller Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bessie Weller Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bessie Weller Elementary is White at 54.4% of enrollment, in Staunton, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bessie Weller Elementary?
Bessie Weller 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 Bessie Weller Elementary rank among elementary schools in Staunton?
By Resource Investment Index, Bessie Weller Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Staunton, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Staunton on the city page.
Is Bessie Weller Elementary a good school?
Bessie Weller Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Staunton City Public Schools?
Besides Bessie Weller Elementary, Staunton City Public Schools also operates Staunton High (766 students), Shelburne Middle (583 students), and Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary (449 students). See the Staunton 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.