Enrollment
572
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Alton, VA
Cluster Springs Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cluster Springs Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510177002745
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cluster Springs Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Virginia schools.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 95.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 572
- students enrolled
Cluster Springs Elementary has class sizes larger than 76% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Halifax County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510177002745 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.1%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cluster Springs Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cluster Springs Elementary
Cluster Springs Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Alton, Virginia, enrolling 572 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 95.1% of students qualify for free meals, 65% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 572 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 329 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #304, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and African American (22%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 409 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Halifax County Public Schools also operates Halifax County High (1,282 students) and Halifax County Middle (847 students) alongside Cluster Springs 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 Cluster Springs Elementary compares
Cluster Springs 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.1% | ▲ 65% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 572 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
572
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 76% in Virginia - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
35.3%
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
$13,814
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
Counselors1.4 FTE
Per 409 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 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 62.6%
African American 22.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Two or More 5.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 62.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.8, Cluster Springs 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 Halifax County Public Schools, which includes Cluster Springs Elementary.
$13,814
Per student
-6%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.4%
State 58.8%
Federal 17.8%
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 Cluster Springs Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax County High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Halifax County Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Boston Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sinai Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clays Mill Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cluster Springs Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,282
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 847
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 683
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~572 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cluster Springs Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cluster Springs Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Halifax 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 Cluster Springs Elementary
How many students attend Cluster Springs Elementary?
Cluster Springs Elementary has 572 students enrolled. It is a public school in Alton, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cluster Springs Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cluster Springs Elementary is 15.5:1, which is 12% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cluster Springs Elementary?
95.1% of students at Cluster Springs Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cluster Springs Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cluster Springs Elementary is White at 62.6% of enrollment, in Alton, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cluster Springs Elementary?
Cluster Springs Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Cluster Springs Elementary a good school?
Cluster Springs Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% 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 Halifax County Public Schools?
Besides Cluster Springs Elementary, Halifax County Public Schools also operates Halifax County High (1,282 students), Halifax County Middle (847 students), and South Boston Elementary (683 students). See the Halifax 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.