Enrollment
276
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buchanan, VA
Buchanan Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Buchanan Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510042000167
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buchanan Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 40.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 276
- students enrolled
Buchanan Elementary has class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Botetourt County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510042000167 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.2%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buchanan Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buchanan Elementary
Buchanan Elementary is a small combined-grade school in Buchanan, Virginia, enrolling 276 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 40.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 276 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 40 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 276 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Botetourt County Public Schools also operates Lord Botetourt High (963 students) and Read Mountain Middle (670 students) alongside Buchanan 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 Buchanan Elementary compares
Buchanan 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.2% | ▼ 30% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 276 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
276
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 16% in Virginia - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
6.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$13,046
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 276 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 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 91.3%
Two or More 5.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.5%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 91.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.2, Buchanan Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Botetourt County Public Schools, which includes Buchanan Elementary.
$13,046
Per student
-11%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 48.0%
Federal 9.4%
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 Buchanan Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Botetourt High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Read Mountain Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James River High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colonial Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Greenfield Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buchanan Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~276 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buchanan Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Buchanan Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Botetourt 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 Buchanan Elementary
How many students attend Buchanan Elementary?
Buchanan Elementary has 276 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buchanan, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buchanan Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Buchanan Elementary is 11.5:1, which is 17% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 27% 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 Buchanan Elementary?
40.2% of students at Buchanan Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buchanan Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Buchanan Elementary is White at 91.3% of enrollment, in Buchanan, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buchanan Elementary?
Buchanan Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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).
Is Buchanan Elementary a good school?
Buchanan Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Botetourt County Public Schools?
Besides Buchanan Elementary, Botetourt County Public Schools also operates Lord Botetourt High (963 students), Read Mountain Middle (670 students), and James River High (464 students). See the Botetourt 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.