Enrollment
594
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Clifton Forge, VA
Clifton Middle
Federal NCES profile for Clifton Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510015201888
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Clifton Middle earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Virginia schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 78.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 594
- students enrolled
Clifton Middle has class sizes larger than 83% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Alleghany Highlands Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510015201888 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.0%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Clifton Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Clifton Middle
Clifton Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Clifton Forge, Virginia, enrolling 594 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 594 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.
Among 437 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #335, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 297 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Alleghany Highlands Public Schools also operates Alleghany High (818 students) and Jeter-Watson Elementary (491 students) alongside Clifton Middle.
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 Clifton Middle compares
Clifton Middle on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 16% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.0% | ▲ 35% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 594 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
594
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 83% in Virginia - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
29.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,593
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 297 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.4 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 81.1%
African American 7.4%
Two or More 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 81.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.0, Clifton Middle is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alleghany Highlands Public Schools, which includes Clifton Middle.
$13,593
Per student
-7%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.4%
State 53.3%
Federal 11.3%
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 Clifton Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alleghany High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jeter-Watson Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mountain View Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Covington High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Callaghan Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Clifton Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 818
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 415
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar middle 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 (~594 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Clifton Middle's federal record.
- Compare Clifton Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Alleghany Highlands 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 Clifton Middle
How many students attend Clifton Middle?
Clifton Middle has 594 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Clifton Forge, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Clifton Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Clifton Middle is 16.1:1, which is 16% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Clifton Middle?
78.0% of students at Clifton Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Clifton Middle?
The largest demographic group at Clifton Middle is White at 81.1% of enrollment, in Clifton Forge, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Clifton Middle?
Clifton Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Clifton Middle a good school?
Clifton Middle earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 Alleghany Highlands Public Schools?
Besides Clifton Middle, Alleghany Highlands Public Schools also operates Alleghany High (818 students), Jeter-Watson Elementary (491 students), and Mountain View Elementary (415 students). See the Alleghany Highlands 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.