Enrollment
236
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chatham, VA
Chatham Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Chatham Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510294001209
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chatham Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Virginia schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Chatham · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.3:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 80.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Chatham Elementary has class sizes smaller than 93% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chatham Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Chatham, VA.
School address
District: Pittsylvania County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510294001209 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.3%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chatham Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chatham Elementary
Chatham Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Chatham, Virginia, enrolling 236 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.3:1, Chatham Elementary is leaner than roughly 93% of Virginia schools and 26% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.3% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Virginia schools, with 236 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 164 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #28.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 52/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 236 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
17.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Chatham's public schools, it stands alongside Union Hall Elementary (183 students): Chatham Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.3:1 vs 10.8:1).
Pittsylvania County Public Schools also operates Tunstall High (800 students) and Twin Springs Elementary (618 students) alongside Chatham 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 Chatham Elementary compares
Chatham 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 26% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.3% | ▲ 39% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 236 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
236
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 7% in Virginia - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,616
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 236 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 64.8%
African American 22.5%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Two or More 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 64.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.9, Chatham Elementary is about as mixed as the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pittsylvania County Public Schools, which includes Chatham Elementary.
$12,616
Per student
-14%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.1%
State 62.5%
Federal 14.4%
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 Chatham Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunstall High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Twin Springs Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tunstall Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chatham High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dan River High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chatham Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 800
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools in Chatham
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~236 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chatham Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Chatham Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Pittsylvania 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 Chatham Elementary
How many students attend Chatham Elementary?
Chatham Elementary has 236 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chatham, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chatham Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Chatham Elementary is 10.3:1, which is 26% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 34% 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 Chatham Elementary?
80.3% of students at Chatham Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chatham Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Chatham Elementary is White at 64.8% of enrollment, in Chatham, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chatham Elementary?
Chatham Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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).
How does Chatham Elementary rank among public schools in Chatham?
By Resource Investment Index, Chatham Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Chatham, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Chatham on the city page.
Is Chatham Elementary a good school?
Chatham Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of 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 Pittsylvania County Public Schools?
Besides Chatham Elementary, Pittsylvania County Public Schools also operates Tunstall High (800 students), Twin Springs Elementary (618 students), and Tunstall Middle (609 students). See the Pittsylvania 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.