Enrollment
626
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 510300002069
Churchland Academy Elementary — Portsmouth, VA
Federal NCES profile for Churchland Academy Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 49
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: Portsmouth City 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)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
117.9%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+97% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Churchland Academy 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
Churchland Academy Elementary reports 626 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 43.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 117.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 97% above the Virginia average and 128% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 313 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Portsmouth City Public Schools spends $14,083 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.7% from local sources (property taxes), 54.9% from the state, and 12.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Churchland Academy 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 3% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 117.9% | ▲ 97% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 626 | top 60% | — | — |
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
117.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 97% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 44% in Virginia — lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$14,083
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 313 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 92 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 626 Top 60% in Virginia — larger than 40% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 43.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 117.9% +97% vs state
NCES ID 510300002069
Student demographics
African American 71.2%
White 10.1%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
Two or More 9.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 71.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 313:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.6%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 92
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portsmouth City Public Schools, which includes Churchland Academy Elementary.
$14,083
Per student
-13%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.7%
State 54.9%
Federal 12.4%
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
- 1,453
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,149
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,009
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 798
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Portsmouth
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Churchland Elementary
Standard public school
721 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Cradock Elementary
Standard public school
616 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Simonsdale Elementary
Standard public school
613 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Victory Elementary
Standard public school
586 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Waterview Elementary
Standard public school
576 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Douglass Park Elementary
Standard public school
510 students 13.8:1 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 Churchland Academy Elementary
How many students attend Churchland Academy Elementary?
Churchland Academy Elementary has 626 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Portsmouth, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Churchland Academy Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Churchland Academy Elementary is 13.6:1, which is 3% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 14% 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 Churchland Academy Elementary?
117.9% of students at Churchland Academy Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Churchland Academy Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Churchland Academy Elementary is African American at 71.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Portsmouth, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Churchland Academy Elementary?
Churchland Academy Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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.