Enrollment
540
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Petersburg, VA
Cool Spring Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cool Spring Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 510291001202
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 26
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cool Spring Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #4 of 4
- elementary schools in Petersburg · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 540
- students enrolled
Cool Spring Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cool Spring Elementary ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Petersburg, VA.
School address
District: Petersburg City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510291001202 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cool Spring Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cool Spring Elementary
Cool Spring Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Petersburg, Virginia, enrolling 540 students.
At 14.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 540 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.
Its student body is predominantly African American (85% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 540 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Petersburg's elementary schools, it stands alongside Walnut Hill Elementary (574 students): Cool Spring Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.2:1 vs 15.5:1).
Petersburg City Public Schools also operates Petersburg High (1,215 students) and Vernon Johns Middle (949 students) alongside Cool Spring 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 Cool Spring Elementary compares
Cool Spring 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 | 14.2:1 | ▲ 2% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 540 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
540
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 56% in Virginia - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.8%
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
$15,113
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 540 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 64 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 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
African American 85.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
White 4.1%
Asian 0.7%
Two or More 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 85.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.1, Cool Spring Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Petersburg City Public Schools, which includes Cool Spring Elementary.
$15,113
Per student
+3%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.8%
State 58.1%
Federal 25.0%
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 Cool Spring Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersburg High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vernon Johns Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walnut Hill Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pleasants Lane Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Westview Early Childhood Education Center | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cool Spring Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,215
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 949
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 574
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 493
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar elementary schools in Petersburg
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~540 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cool Spring Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cool Spring Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Petersburg 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 Cool Spring Elementary
How many students attend Cool Spring Elementary?
Cool Spring Elementary has 540 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Petersburg, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cool Spring Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cool Spring Elementary is 14.2:1, which is 2% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cool Spring Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cool Spring Elementary is African American at 85.4% of enrollment, in Petersburg, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cool Spring Elementary?
Cool Spring 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).
How does Cool Spring Elementary rank among elementary schools in Petersburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Cool Spring Elementary ranks #4 of 4 elementary schools in Petersburg, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Petersburg on the city page.
Is Cool Spring Elementary a good school?
Cool Spring Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Petersburg City Public Schools?
Besides Cool Spring Elementary, Petersburg City Public Schools also operates Petersburg High (1,215 students), Vernon Johns Middle (949 students), and Walnut Hill Elementary (574 students). See the Petersburg 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.