Enrollment
494
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gloucester, VA
Bethel Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bethel Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510162001616
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bethel Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Gloucester · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 66.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Bethel Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bethel Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Gloucester, VA.
School address
District: Gloucester County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510162001616 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.5%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bethel Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bethel Elementary
Bethel Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Gloucester, Virginia, enrolling 494 students.
At 13.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 66.5% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 494 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 246 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #172.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Two or More (10%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 494 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Gloucester's public schools, it stands alongside Botetourt Elementary (505 students): Bethel Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.4:1 vs 13.6:1).
Gloucester County Public Schools also operates Gloucester High (1,547 students) and Page Middle (573 students) alongside Bethel 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 Bethel Elementary compares
Bethel 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.5% | ▲ 15% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 494 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
494
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 44% in Virginia - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.4%
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
$13,604
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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 494 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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 77.5%
Two or More 9.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
African American 4.7%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 77.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.4, Bethel Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gloucester County Public Schools, which includes Bethel Elementary.
$13,604
Per student
-7%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.1%
State 29.5%
Federal 8.4%
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 Bethel Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucester High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Page Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Peasley Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Botetourt Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Abingdon Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bethel Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,547
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 573
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 565
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 505
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar other schools in Gloucester
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~494 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bethel Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bethel Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Gloucester 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 Bethel Elementary
How many students attend Bethel Elementary?
Bethel Elementary has 494 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gloucester, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bethel Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bethel Elementary is 13.4:1, which is 4% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 15% 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 Bethel Elementary?
66.5% of students at Bethel Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bethel Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bethel Elementary is White at 77.5% of enrollment, in Gloucester, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bethel Elementary?
Bethel 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 Bethel Elementary rank among schools in Gloucester?
By Resource Investment Index, Bethel Elementary ranks #3 of 3 schools in Gloucester, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Gloucester on the city page.
Is Bethel Elementary a good school?
Bethel Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. 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 Gloucester County Public Schools?
Besides Bethel Elementary, Gloucester County Public Schools also operates Gloucester High (1,547 students), Page Middle (573 students), and Peasley Middle (565 students). See the Gloucester 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.