Enrollment
567
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Shinnston, WV
Big Elm Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Big Elm Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 540051000586
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Big Elm Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the West Virginia median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Shinnston · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.2:1
- students per teacher
- 567
- students enrolled
Big Elm Elementary School has class sizes near the West Virginia median. Computed live against every West Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Big Elm Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Shinnston, WV.
School address
District: Harrison County Schools · West Virginia
NCES ID 540051000586 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 13.1:1 West Virginia avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Big Elm Elementary School compares with West Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Big Elm Elementary School
Big Elm Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Shinnston, West Virginia, enrolling 567 students.
At 13.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the West Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.1:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 567 puts it in the larger third of West Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 643 scored West Virginia schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment) (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 334 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Harrison County Schools also operates Bridgeport High School (817 students) and Johnson Elementary School (742 students) alongside Big Elm Elementary School.
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 Big Elm Elementary School compares
Big Elm Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against West Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.2:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 567 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
567
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.2:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 53% in West Virginia - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.6%
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
$13,777
per pupil, district-wide
- below West Virginia avg of $14,844
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.7 FTE
Per 334 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
39
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.9 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 96.5%
Two or More 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
African American 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 96.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.8, Big Elm Elementary School is less mixed than the West Virginia school average of 17.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harrison County Schools, which includes Big Elm Elementary School.
$13,777
Per student
-7%
vs West Virginia
Avg $14,844
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.6%
State 51.7%
Federal 9.7%
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 Big Elm Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Johnson Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robert C Byrd High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nutter Fort Primary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bridgeport Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Big Elm Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 817
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 742
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 689
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 593
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 590
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of West Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~567 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Big Elm Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Big Elm Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Harrison County 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 Big Elm Elementary School
How many students attend Big Elm Elementary School?
Big Elm Elementary School has 567 students enrolled. It is a public school in Shinnston, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Big Elm Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Big Elm Elementary School is 13.2:1, which is 1% higher than the West Virginia average of 13.1:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Big Elm Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Big Elm Elementary School is White at 96.5% of enrollment, in Shinnston, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Big Elm Elementary School?
Big Elm Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Big Elm Elementary School rank among public schools in Shinnston?
By Resource Investment Index, Big Elm Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Shinnston, WV. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Shinnston on the city page.
Is Big Elm Elementary School a good school?
Big Elm Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the West 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 Harrison County Schools?
Besides Big Elm Elementary School, Harrison County Schools also operates Bridgeport High School (817 students), Johnson Elementary School (742 students), and Robert C Byrd High School (689 students). See the Harrison County 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.