Enrollment
857
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Manassas Park, VA
Cougar Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cougar Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510239002292
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cougar Elementary earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Virginia schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Manassas Park · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 74.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Cougar Elementary has class sizes larger than 77% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cougar Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Manassas Park, VA.
School address
District: Manassas Park City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510239002292 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.8%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cougar Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cougar Elementary
Cougar Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Manassas Park, Virginia, enrolling 857 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 857 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 264 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #241, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (72%) and African American (8%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 286 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Manassas Park City Public Schools also operates Manassas Park High (1,070 students) and Manassas Park Middle (753 students) alongside Cougar 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 Cougar Elementary compares
Cougar 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.8% | ▲ 30% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 857 | top 20% | - | - |
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.
857
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
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
23.1%
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
$13,204
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 286 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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
Hispanic or Latino 72.3%
African American 7.5%
Asian 7.5%
White 7.2%
Two or More 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.8, Cougar Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Manassas Park City Public Schools, which includes Cougar Elementary.
$13,204
Per student
-10%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 61.7%
Federal 10.4%
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 Cougar Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manassas Park High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Manassas Park Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Manassas Park Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cougar Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 712
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~857 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cougar Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cougar Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Manassas Park 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 Cougar Elementary
How many students attend Cougar Elementary?
Cougar Elementary has 857 students enrolled. It is a public school in Manassas Park, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cougar Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cougar Elementary 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 Cougar Elementary?
74.8% of students at Cougar Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cougar Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cougar Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 72.3% of enrollment, in Manassas Park, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cougar Elementary?
Cougar Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Cougar Elementary rank among public schools in Manassas Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Cougar Elementary ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Manassas Park, 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 Manassas Park on the city page.
Is Cougar Elementary a good school?
Cougar Elementary earns 38/100 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 Manassas Park City Public Schools?
Besides Cougar Elementary, Manassas Park City Public Schools also operates Manassas Park High (1,070 students), Manassas Park Middle (753 students), and Manassas Park Elementary (712 students). See the Manassas Park 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.