Enrollment
273
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 510352001441
Chilhowie Middle — Chilhowie, VA
Federal NCES profile for Chilhowie Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 46
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: Smyth 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.6%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chilhowie Middle 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
Chilhowie Middle reports 273 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 69.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the Virginia average and 34% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 273 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Smyth County Public Schools spends $14,247 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.6% from local sources (property taxes), 58.5% from the state, and 17.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Chilhowie Middle 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 1% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.6% | ▲ 16% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 273 | top 13% | — | — |
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
69.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 49% in Virginia — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.6%
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
$14,247
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 273 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 273 Top 13% in Virginia — larger than 87% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 69.6% +16% vs state
NCES ID 510352001441
Student demographics
White 91.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
African American 2.9%
Two or More 1.1%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 91.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 273:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.6%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smyth County Public Schools, which includes Chilhowie Middle.
$14,247
Per student
-12%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
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 Chilhowie Middle
How many students attend Chilhowie Middle?
Chilhowie Middle has 273 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Chilhowie, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chilhowie Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Chilhowie Middle is 13.9:1, which is 1% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Chilhowie Middle?
69.6% of students at Chilhowie Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chilhowie Middle?
The largest demographic group at Chilhowie Middle is White at 91.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Chilhowie, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chilhowie Middle?
Chilhowie Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.