Enrollment
789
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510364002768
Cedar Forest Elementary — Fredericksburg, VA
Federal NCES profile for Cedar Forest Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 54
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: Spotsylvania County 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)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.9%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cedar Forest Elementary 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
Cedar Forest Elementary reports 789 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 52.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% above the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 64.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% above the Virginia average and 25% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 395 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Spotsylvania County Public Schools spends $14,142 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.0% from local sources (property taxes), 41.8% from the state, and 11.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Cedar Forest Elementary 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 11% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.9% | ▲ 8% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 789 | top 75% | — | — |
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
64.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 79% in Virginia — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,142
per pupil, district-wide
— below Virginia avg of $16,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 395 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 789 Top 75% in Virginia — larger than 25% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 52.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 64.9% +8% vs state
NCES ID 510364002768
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 31.1%
White 27.8%
African American 26.0%
Two or More 10.6%
Asian 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 31.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 395:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.5%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spotsylvania County Public Schools, which includes Cedar Forest Elementary.
$14,142
Per student
-13%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.0%
State 41.8%
Federal 11.2%
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
- 1,913
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,692
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,497
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,394
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,321
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar other schools in Fredericksburg
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Parkside Elementary
Standard public school
946 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Hugh Mercer Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Lafayette Elementary
Standard public school
812 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Harrison Road Elementary
Standard public school
732 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Smith Station Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Lee Hill Elementary
Standard public school
680 students 16.5:1 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 Cedar Forest Elementary
How many students attend Cedar Forest Elementary?
Cedar Forest Elementary has 789 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fredericksburg, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cedar Forest Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cedar Forest Elementary is 15.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cedar Forest Elementary?
64.9% of students at Cedar Forest Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cedar Forest Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cedar Forest Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 31.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fredericksburg, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cedar Forest Elementary?
Cedar Forest Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) 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.