Enrollment
2,122
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Stafford, VA
Colonial Forge High
Federal NCES profile for Colonial Forge High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 67/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510366001923
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Colonial Forge High earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the largest schools in Virginia.
- #1 of 4
- high schools in Stafford · Resource Index
- 67
- Resource Index · Higher
- 23.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 2,122
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Colonial Forge High ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Stafford, VA.
School address
District: Stafford County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510366001923 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
23.1%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-60% vs state
What stands out at Colonial Forge High
Colonial Forge High is a large high school in Stafford, Virginia, enrolling 2,122 students.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Virginia, bigger than 98% of state schools at 2,122 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 96 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #11, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (35%) and African American (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 75/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 27 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Stafford's high schools, it stands alongside Mountain View High (2,233 students): Colonial Forge High is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Stafford County Public Schools also operates Mountain View High (2,233 students) and Brooke Point High (2,199 students) alongside Colonial Forge High.
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 Colonial Forge High compares
Colonial Forge High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.1% | ▼ 60% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,122 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
2,122
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 60% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,415
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
65
in-school suspensions + 84 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
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 34.9%
African American 28.3%
Hispanic or Latino 19.4%
Two or More 9.1%
Asian 7.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 34.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.6, Colonial Forge High is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 27
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stafford County Public Schools, which includes Colonial Forge High.
$12,415
Per student
-15%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 52.1%
Federal 11.1%
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 Colonial Forge High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View High | Similar size | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Brooke Point High | Similar size | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Stafford Senior High | Similar size | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| North Stafford High | Similar size | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Rodney E. Thompson Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Colonial Forge High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,233
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,199
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,198
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,982
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,063
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar high schools in Stafford
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Colonial Forge High's federal record.
- Compare Colonial Forge High against another school. Compare schools
- Stafford 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 Colonial Forge High
How many students attend Colonial Forge High?
Colonial Forge High has 2,122 students enrolled. It is a high school in Stafford, VA.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Colonial Forge High?
23.1% of students at Colonial Forge High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Colonial Forge High?
The largest demographic group at Colonial Forge High is White at 34.9% of enrollment, in Stafford, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Colonial Forge High?
Colonial Forge High has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Colonial Forge High rank among high schools in Stafford?
By Resource Investment Index, Colonial Forge High ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Stafford, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Stafford on the city page.
Is Colonial Forge High a good school?
Colonial Forge High earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the largest schools in Virginia. 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 Stafford County Public Schools?
Besides Colonial Forge High, Stafford County Public Schools also operates Mountain View High (2,233 students), Brooke Point High (2,199 students), and Stafford Senior High (2,198 students). See the Stafford 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.