Enrollment
194
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Honaker, VA
Council Elementary/Middle
Federal NCES profile for Council Elementary/Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510051001897
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Council Elementary/Middle earns 41/100 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
- schools in Honaker · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 88.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Council Elementary/Middle has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Council Elementary/Middle ranks #4 of 4 schools in Honaker, VA.
School address
District: Buchanan County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510051001897 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.6%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Council Elementary/Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Council Elementary/Middle
Council Elementary/Middle is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Honaker, Virginia, enrolling 194 students.
At 13.9:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 88.6% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Virginia schools, with 194 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 125 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #115, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 388 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Honaker's public schools, it stands alongside Honaker Elementary (712 students): Council Elementary/Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.9:1 vs 15.1:1).
Buchanan County Public Schools also operates Riverview Elementary/Middle (719 students) and Grundy High (352 students) alongside Council Elementary/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 Council Elementary/Middle compares
Council Elementary/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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 0% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.6% | ▲ 54% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 194 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
194
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
88.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 52% in Virginia - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.9%
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
$14,264
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 97.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: White at 97.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.1, Council Elementary/Middle is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buchanan County Public Schools, which includes Council Elementary/Middle.
$14,264
Per student
-3%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.3%
State 52.4%
Federal 26.3%
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 Council Elementary/Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview Elementary/Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Grundy High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hurley Elementary/Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Twin Valley Elementary/Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hurley High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Council Elementary/Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 240
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 194
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools in Honaker
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~194 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Council Elementary/Middle's federal record.
- Compare Council Elementary/Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Buchanan 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 Council Elementary/Middle
How many students attend Council Elementary/Middle?
Council Elementary/Middle has 194 students enrolled. It is a public school in Honaker, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Council Elementary/Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Council Elementary/Middle is 13.9:1, which is 0% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Council Elementary/Middle?
88.6% of students at Council Elementary/Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Council Elementary/Middle?
The largest demographic group at Council Elementary/Middle is White at 97.4% of enrollment, in Honaker, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Council Elementary/Middle?
Council Elementary/Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Council Elementary/Middle rank among schools in Honaker?
By Resource Investment Index, Council Elementary/Middle ranks #4 of 4 schools in Honaker, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Honaker on the city page.
Is Council Elementary/Middle a good school?
Council Elementary/Middle earns 41/100 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 Buchanan County Public Schools?
Besides Council Elementary/Middle, Buchanan County Public Schools also operates Riverview Elementary/Middle (719 students), Grundy High (352 students), and Hurley Elementary/Middle (323 students). See the Buchanan 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.