Enrollment
304
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 540060000370
Central Elementary School — St. Albans, WV
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 23
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: Kanawha County Schools · West 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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 13.7:1 West Virginia avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Elementary School compares with West 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
Central Elementary School reports 304 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 35% above the West Virginia state mean of 13.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 304 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kanawha County Schools spends $17,075 per pupil district-wide, above the West Virginia average of $16,253 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.8% from local sources (property taxes), 40.8% from the state, and 25.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), 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 Central Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against West 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 West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 35% | 13.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 304 | top 50% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
— 35% above state mean
Top 97% in West Virginia — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
30.9%
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
$17,075
per pupil, district-wide
— above West Virginia avg of $16,253
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 304 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 304 Top 50% in West Virginia — larger than 50% of 648 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 18.5:1 +35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 540060000370
Student demographics
White 81.9%
Two or More 9.2%
African American 8.2%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 81.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 304:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.9%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kanawha County Schools, which includes Central Elementary School.
$17,075
Per student
+5%
vs West Virginia
Avg $16,253
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,145
- Students per teacher
- 25.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,057
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,051
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 882
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
Similar other schools in St. Albans
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Alban Elementary School
Standard public school
376 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Lakewood Elementary School
Standard public school
294 students 16:1 students per teacher
Anne Bailey Elementary School
Standard public school
221 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
George C. Weimer Elementary School
Standard public school
137 students 9.8:1 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 Central Elementary School
How many students attend Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has 304 students enrolled. It is a other school in ST. ALBANS, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 18.5:1, which is 35% higher than the West Virginia average of 13.7:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary School is White at 81.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in ST. ALBANS, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) 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.