Enrollment
563
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 510078000271
Buford Middle — Charlottesville, VA
Federal NCES profile for Buford Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 37
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Charlottesville City Public Schools · Virginia
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.7%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buford Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Buford Middle reports 563 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 48.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 73.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% above the Virginia average and 42% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 282 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Charlottesville City Public Schools spends $21,257 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.6% from local sources (property taxes), 24.2% from the state, and 7.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Buford Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Virginia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.1:1 | ▼ 14% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.7% | ▲ 23% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 563 | top 51% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
73.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% above the Virginia average of 59.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 14% below state mean
Top 21% in Virginia — lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,257
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $16,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 282 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
76
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 563 Top 51% in Virginia — larger than 49% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 48.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 73.7% +23% vs state
NCES ID 510078000271
Student demographics
White 36.1%
African American 26.5%
Hispanic or Latino 14.9%
Two or More 14.6%
Asian 8.0%
Largest group: White at 36.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 282:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.4%
In-school suspensions 76
Out-of-school suspensions 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charlottesville City Public Schools, which includes Buford Middle.
$21,257
Per student
+31%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.6%
State 24.2%
Federal 7.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,438
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 327
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
Similar middle schools in Charlottesville
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Journey Middle
Standard public school
646 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Lakeside Middle
Standard public school
574 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Jackson P. Burley Middle
Standard public school
534 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Leslie H. Walton Middle
Standard public school
339 students 10.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Buford Middle
How many students attend Buford Middle?
Buford Middle has 563 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Charlottesville, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buford Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Buford Middle is 12.1:1, which is 14% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buford Middle?
73.7% of students at Buford Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buford Middle?
The largest demographic group at Buford Middle is White at 36.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Charlottesville, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buford Middle?
Buford Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.