Enrollment
857
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510239002292
Cougar Elementary — Manassas Park, VA
Federal NCES profile for Cougar Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 42
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Manassas Park City Public Schools · Virginia
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.8%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cougar Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Cougar Elementary reports 857 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 55.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% above the Virginia average and 44% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 286 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Manassas Park City Public Schools spends $14,412 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.9% from local sources (property taxes), 61.7% from the state, and 10.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cougar Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Virginia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.1:1 | ▲ 8% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.8% | ▲ 25% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 857 | top 80% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
74.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% above the Virginia average of 59.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 71% in Virginia — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,412
per pupil, district-wide
— below Virginia avg of $16,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 857 Top 80% in Virginia — larger than 20% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 55.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.8% +25% vs state
NCES ID 510239002292
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 286:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.1%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Manassas Park City Public Schools, which includes Cougar Elementary.
$14,412
Per student
-11%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,070
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 712
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Cougar Elementary
How many students attend Cougar Elementary?
Cougar Elementary has 857 students enrolled. It is a other school in Manassas Park, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cougar Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cougar Elementary is 15.1:1, which is 8% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
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 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cougar Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cougar Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 72.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Manassas Park, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cougar Elementary?
Cougar Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.