Other / mixed grade configuration · Roanoke, VA

Bonsack Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Bonsack Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510333001919
0/100100/10060/100
👥 S:T ratio
44
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
38
📋 Attendance
87
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Bonsack Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.

#4 of 27
schools in Roanoke · Resource Index
60
Resource Index · Higher
14.1:1
students per teacher
23.1%
free-lunch eligible

Bonsack Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Bonsack Elementary ranks #4 of 27 schools in Roanoke, VA.

Enrollment

311

Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

22.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.1:1

vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg

+1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

23.1%

vs 57.6% Virginia avg

-60% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Bonsack Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Bonsack Elementary

Bonsack Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Roanoke, Virginia, enrolling 311 students.

At 14.1:1, 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.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.1% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 311 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.

Against 66 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.

Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 311 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Attendance holds up well here: only 5.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

Among Roanoke's public schools, it stands alongside Round Hill Elementary (720 students): Bonsack Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 14.7:1).

Roanoke County Public Schools also operates William Byrd High (1,134 students) and Cave Spring High (1,046 students) alongside Bonsack 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 Bonsack Elementary compares

Bonsack 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 14.1:1 ▲ 1% 13.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 23.1% ▼ 60% 57.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 311 top 83% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
311
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
23.1%
free-lunch eligible - 60% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher - 1% above state mean
Top 55% in Virginia - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
5.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,626
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 311 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 81.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Asian 3.9%
Two or More 3.9%
African American 2.9%

Largest group: White at 81.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 32.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 32.7, Bonsack Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Roanoke County Public Schools, which includes Bonsack Elementary.

$12,626
Per student
-14%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.4%
State 47.5%
Federal 11.1%

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 Bonsack Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
William Byrd High Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Cave Spring High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Northside High Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Hidden Valley High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
William Byrd Middle Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Bonsack Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Roanoke County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Roanoke

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Bonsack Elementary's federal record.

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 Bonsack Elementary

How many students attend Bonsack Elementary?

Bonsack Elementary has 311 students enrolled. It is a public school in Roanoke, VA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Bonsack Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Bonsack Elementary is 14.1:1, which is 1% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bonsack Elementary?

23.1% of students at Bonsack Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bonsack Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Bonsack Elementary is White at 81.4% of enrollment, in Roanoke, VA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Bonsack Elementary?

Bonsack Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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 Bonsack Elementary rank among schools in Roanoke?

By Resource Investment Index, Bonsack Elementary ranks #4 of 27 schools in Roanoke, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Roanoke on the city page.

Is Bonsack Elementary a good school?

Bonsack Elementary earns 60/100 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 Roanoke County Public Schools?

Besides Bonsack Elementary, Roanoke County Public Schools also operates William Byrd High (1,134 students), Cave Spring High (1,046 students), and Northside High (919 students). See the Roanoke County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.