Enrollment
745
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510126000458
Dogwood Elementary — Reston, VA
Federal NCES profile for Dogwood Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 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 →
The verdict
Dogwood Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- D
- Resource Index · 46/100
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 82.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 745
- students enrolled
School address
District: Fairfax County 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)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.2%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dogwood 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
Dogwood Elementary reports 745 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 53.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.7:1, it is 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 82.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% above the Virginia average and 59% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 373 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fairfax County Public Schools spends $17,977 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $14,649 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 66.6% from local sources (property taxes), 23.3% from the state, and 10.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), 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 Dogwood 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 7% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.2% | ▲ 37% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 745 | top 72% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
13 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 69% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
745 larger than 83% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
82.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% 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
13:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 33% in Virginia — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
23.2%
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
$17,977
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $14,649
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 373 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 745 Top 72% in Virginia — larger than 28% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 53.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 82.2% +37% vs state
NCES ID 510126000458
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 58.9%
African American 14.0%
White 11.7%
Asian 10.3%
Two or More 4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 373:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.2%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfax County Public Schools, which includes Dogwood Elementary.
$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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,411
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 3,710
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3,256
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,937
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,799
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
Similar other schools in Reston
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences
Standard public school
726 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Lake Anne Elementary
Standard public school
616 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Terraset Elementary
Standard public school
598 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Sunrise Valley Elementary
Standard public school
558 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Aldrin Elementary
Standard public school
455 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Forest Edge Elementary
Standard public school
454 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
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 Dogwood Elementary
How many students attend Dogwood Elementary?
Dogwood Elementary has 745 students enrolled. It is a other school in Reston, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dogwood Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dogwood Elementary is 13:1, which is 7% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dogwood Elementary?
82.2% of students at Dogwood Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dogwood Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dogwood Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 58.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Reston, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dogwood Elementary?
Dogwood Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) 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.
Is Dogwood Elementary a good school?
Dogwood Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes near the Virginia median. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.