Enrollment
417
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Arlington, VA
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510027000087
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Virginia schools.
- #25 of 26
- schools in Arlington · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.9:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 74.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary has class sizes smaller than 98% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary ranks #25 of 26 schools in Arlington, VA.
School address
District: Arlington County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510027000087 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.9:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.0%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Arlington, Virginia, enrolling 417 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.9:1, Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary is leaner than roughly 98% of Virginia schools and 36% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 74.0% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 417 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 312 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #111.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (43%) and African American (31%) (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 348 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Arlington County Public Schools spends $21,782 per pupil, 49% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Arlington's public schools, it stands alongside Abingdon Elementary (768 students): Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.9:1 vs 12.4:1).
Arlington County Public Schools also operates Washington-Liberty High (3,044 students) and Wakefield High (2,646 students) alongside Dr. Charles R. Drew 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 Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary compares
Dr. Charles R. Drew 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 | 8.9:1 | ▼ 36% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.0% | ▲ 28% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 417 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
417
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 28% 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
8.9:1
students per teacher
- 36% below state mean
Top 2% in Virginia - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.1%
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
$21,782
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.2 FTE
Per 348 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 43.4%
African American 30.5%
White 15.8%
Asian 6.5%
Two or More 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.8, Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arlington County Public Schools, which includes Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary.
$21,782
Per student
+49%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.4%
State 12.4%
Federal 8.2%
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 Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Liberty High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wakefield High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Yorktown High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gunston Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,044
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 2,646
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,593
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 1,120
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
Similar other schools in Arlington
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Abingdon Elementary
Standard public school
768 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Cardinal Elementary
Standard public school
682 students 10.3:1 students per teacher
Oakridge Elementary
Standard public school
636 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Arlington Science Focus School
Standard public school
632 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Alice West Fleet Elementary
Standard public school
629 students 9.3:1 students per teacher
Arlington Traditional
Standard public school
624 students 13:1 students per teacher
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 (~417 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Arlington 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 Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary
How many students attend Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary?
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary has 417 students enrolled. It is a public school in Arlington, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary is 8.9:1, which is 36% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 43% 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 Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary?
74.0% of students at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 43.4% of enrollment, in Arlington, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary?
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary rank among schools in Arlington?
By Resource Investment Index, Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary ranks #25 of 26 schools in Arlington, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Arlington on the city page.
Is Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary a good school?
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% 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 Arlington County Public Schools?
Besides Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary, Arlington County Public Schools also operates Washington-Liberty High (3,044 students), Wakefield High (2,646 students), and Yorktown High (2,593 students). See the Arlington 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.