Enrollment
589
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chiilhowie, VA
Chilhowie Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Chilhowie Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510352001557
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chilhowie Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 89.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 589
- students enrolled
Chilhowie Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Smyth County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510352001557 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.0%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chilhowie Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chilhowie Elementary
Chilhowie Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Chiilhowie, Virginia, enrolling 589 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 89.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 589 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 416 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #243.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 393 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Smyth County Public Schools also operates Marion Senior High (563 students) and Marion Middle (401 students) alongside Chilhowie 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 Chilhowie Elementary compares
Chilhowie 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 | 14.4:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.0% | ▲ 55% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 589 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
589
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 60% in Virginia - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,836
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 393 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 91.0%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
African American 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Two or More 0.7%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.9, Chilhowie Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smyth County Public Schools, which includes Chilhowie Elementary.
$13,836
Per student
-6%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 58.5%
Federal 17.9%
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 Chilhowie Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Senior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Marion Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chilhowie High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Oak Point Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Marion Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chilhowie Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 298
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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 (~589 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chilhowie Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Chilhowie Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Smyth 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 Chilhowie Elementary
How many students attend Chilhowie Elementary?
Chilhowie Elementary has 589 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chiilhowie, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chilhowie Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Chilhowie Elementary is 14.4:1, which is 4% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Chilhowie Elementary?
89.0% of students at Chilhowie Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chilhowie Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Chilhowie Elementary is White at 91.0% of enrollment, in Chiilhowie, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chilhowie Elementary?
Chilhowie Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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).
Is Chilhowie Elementary a good school?
Chilhowie Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Smyth County Public Schools?
Besides Chilhowie Elementary, Smyth County Public Schools also operates Marion Senior High (563 students), Marion Middle (401 students), and Chilhowie High (384 students). See the Smyth 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.