Enrollment
736
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Suffolk, VA
Colonel Fred Cherry Middle
Federal NCES profile for Colonel Fred Cherry Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510371003058
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Colonel Fred Cherry Middle earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 64.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 736
- students enrolled
Colonel Fred Cherry Middle has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Suffolk City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510371003058 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.0%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Colonel Fred Cherry Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Colonel Fred Cherry Middle
Colonel Fred Cherry Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Suffolk, Virginia, enrolling 736 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 64.0% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 736 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 213 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #93.
Its student body is led by African American (55%) and White (22%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 368 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
17.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Discipline events run high: 151 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 736 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Suffolk's middle schools, it stands alongside King's Fork Middle (986 students): Colonel Fred Cherry Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.7:1 vs 13.5:1).
Suffolk City Public Schools also operates King's Fork High (1,686 students) and Nansemond River High (1,683 students) alongside Colonel Fred Cherry 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 Colonel Fred Cherry Middle compares
Colonel Fred Cherry 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 | 14.7:1 | ▲ 6% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.0% | ▲ 11% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 736 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
736
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
64.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 64% in Virginia - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,163
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 368 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
82
in-school suspensions + 69 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.5 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
African American 55.4%
White 22.4%
Two or More 9.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 55.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.4, Colonel Fred Cherry Middle is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Suffolk City Public Schools, which includes Colonel Fred Cherry Middle.
$13,163
Per student
-10%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.0%
State 47.5%
Federal 12.5%
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 Colonel Fred Cherry Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| King's Fork High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nansemond River High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lakeland High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| King's Fork Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Florence Bowser Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Colonel Fred Cherry Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,686
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,683
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,045
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 986
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 926
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar middle schools in Suffolk
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
King's Fork Middle
Standard public school
986 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
John Yeates Middle
Standard public school
509 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
John F. Kennedy Middle
Standard public school
498 students 11.9:1 students per teacher
Forest Glen Middle
Standard public school
433 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
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 (~736 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Colonel Fred Cherry Middle's federal record.
- Compare Colonel Fred Cherry Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Suffolk City 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 Colonel Fred Cherry Middle
How many students attend Colonel Fred Cherry Middle?
Colonel Fred Cherry Middle has 736 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Suffolk, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Colonel Fred Cherry Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Colonel Fred Cherry Middle is 14.7:1, which is 6% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Colonel Fred Cherry Middle?
64.0% of students at Colonel Fred Cherry Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Colonel Fred Cherry Middle?
The largest demographic group at Colonel Fred Cherry Middle is African American at 55.4% of enrollment, in Suffolk, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Colonel Fred Cherry Middle?
Colonel Fred Cherry Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Colonel Fred Cherry Middle a good school?
Colonel Fred Cherry Middle earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. 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 Suffolk City Public Schools?
Besides Colonel Fred Cherry Middle, Suffolk City Public Schools also operates King's Fork High (1,686 students), Nansemond River High (1,683 students), and Lakeland High (1,045 students). See the Suffolk City 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.