Enrollment
997
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mclean, VA
Cooper Middle
Federal NCES profile for Cooper Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510126000453
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cooper Middle earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Virginia schools.
- #2 of 8
- public schools in Mclean · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 3.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Cooper Middle has class sizes larger than 77% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cooper Middle ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Mclean, VA.
School address
District: Fairfax County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510126000453 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
3.6%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-94% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cooper Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cooper Middle
Cooper Middle is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Mclean, Virginia, enrolling 997 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 3.6% free-meal eligibility runs 94% below the Virginia average.
Enrollment of 997 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 131 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #12, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and Asian (33%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 199 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Fairfax County Public Schools spends $17,977 per pupil, 23% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Fairfax County Public Schools also operates Lake Braddock Secondary (4,411 students) and Robinson Secondary (3,710 students) alongside Cooper 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 Cooper Middle compares
Cooper 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 3.6% | ▼ 94% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 997 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
997
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
3.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 94% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 77% in Virginia - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
8.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,977
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 199 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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 47.9%
Asian 32.9%
Two or More 9.5%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
African American 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 47.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.7, Cooper Middle is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfax County Public Schools, which includes Cooper Middle.
$17,977
Per student
+23%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.6%
State 23.3%
Federal 10.1%
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 Cooper Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Braddock Secondary | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Robinson Secondary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hayfield Secondary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chantilly High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Springfield High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cooper Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,411
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 3,710
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 3,256
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,937
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,799
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~997 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cooper Middle's federal record.
- Compare Cooper Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Fairfax 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 Cooper Middle
How many students attend Cooper Middle?
Cooper Middle has 997 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mclean, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cooper Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Cooper Middle is 15.6:1, 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 Cooper Middle?
3.6% of students at Cooper Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cooper Middle?
The largest demographic group at Cooper Middle is White at 47.9% of enrollment, in Mclean, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cooper Middle?
Cooper Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (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).
How does Cooper Middle rank among public schools in Mclean?
By Resource Investment Index, Cooper Middle ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Mclean, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Mclean on the city page.
Is Cooper Middle a good school?
Cooper Middle earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% 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 Fairfax County Public Schools?
Besides Cooper Middle, Fairfax County Public Schools also operates Lake Braddock Secondary (4,411 students), Robinson Secondary (3,710 students), and Hayfield Secondary (3,256 students). See the Fairfax 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.