Enrollment
1,051
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Charleston, WV
Capital High School
Federal NCES profile for Capital High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 540060001443
👥 S:T ratio 33
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Capital High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of West Virginia schools. It is also one of the largest schools in West Virginia.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Charleston · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7:1
- large classes for West Virginia
- 1,051
- students enrolled
Capital High School has class sizes larger than 90% of West Virginia schools. Computed live against every West Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Capital High School ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Charleston, WV.
School address
District: Kanawha County Schools · West Virginia
NCES ID 540060001443 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 13.1:1 West Virginia avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Capital High School compares with West Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Capital High School
Capital High School is a large high school in Charleston, West Virginia, enrolling 1,051 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.7:1 is larger than about 90% of West Virginia schools and 27% above the 13.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in West Virginia, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,051 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 643 scored West Virginia schools.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and African American (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 56/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 263 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 409 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,051 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Kanawha County Schools also operates George Washington High School (1,145 students) and Riverside High School (1,057 students) alongside Capital High 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 Capital High School compares
Capital High 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 | 16.7:1 | ▲ 27% | 13.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,051 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,051
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 27% above state mean
Top 90% in West Virginia - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.3%
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
$13,227
per pupil, district-wide
- below West Virginia avg of $14,844
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 263 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
222
in-school suspensions + 187 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.9 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 59.3%
African American 29.4%
Two or More 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 59.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.5, Capital High School is more mixed than the West Virginia school average of 17.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kanawha County Schools, which includes Capital High School.
$13,227
Per student
-11%
vs West Virginia
Avg $14,844
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.8%
State 40.8%
Federal 25.4%
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 Capital High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverside High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Saint Albans High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Charleston High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nitro High School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Capital High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,145
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,057
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 882
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high 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 (~1,051 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Capital High School's federal record.
- Compare Capital High School against another school. Compare schools
- Kanawha 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 Capital High School
How many students attend Capital High School?
Capital High School has 1,051 students enrolled. It is a high school in Charleston, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Capital High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Capital High School is 16.7:1, which is 27% higher than the West Virginia average of 13.1:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Capital High School?
The largest demographic group at Capital High School is White at 59.3% of enrollment, in Charleston, WV. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Capital High School?
Capital High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Capital High School rank among high schools in Charleston?
By Resource Investment Index, Capital High School ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Charleston, WV. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Charleston on the city page.
Is Capital High School a good school?
Capital High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of West Virginia schools. It is also one of the largest schools in West Virginia. 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 Kanawha County Schools?
Besides Capital High School, Kanawha County Schools also operates George Washington High School (1,145 students), Riverside High School (1,057 students), and Saint Albans High School (882 students). See the Kanawha 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.