Enrollment
241
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510337001481
Fairfield Elementary — Fairfield, VA
Federal NCES profile for Fairfield Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 62/100.
👥 Class size 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 64
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: Rockbridge 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.3%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fairfield 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
Fairfield Elementary reports 241 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% 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 15.9:1, it is 38% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 75.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the Virginia average and 45% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 241 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rockbridge County Public Schools spends $16,269 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.4% from local sources (property taxes), 37.2% from the state, and 12.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (C+), 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 Fairfield 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 30% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.3% | ▲ 26% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 241 | top 9% | — | — |
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
75.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 4% in Virginia — lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,269
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $16,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 241 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 241 Top 9% in Virginia — larger than 91% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 9.8:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 75.3% +26% vs state
NCES ID 510337001481
Student demographics
White 84.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.2%
Two or More 5.8%
African American 2.1%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 84.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 241:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rockbridge County Public Schools, which includes Fairfield Elementary.
$16,269
Per student
+0%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.4%
State 37.2%
Federal 12.4%
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
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 481
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Enrollment
- 154
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
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 Fairfield Elementary
How many students attend Fairfield Elementary?
Fairfield Elementary has 241 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fairfield, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fairfield Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Fairfield Elementary is 9.8:1, which is 30% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fairfield Elementary?
75.3% of students at Fairfield Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fairfield Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Fairfield Elementary is White at 84.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fairfield, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fairfield Elementary?
Fairfield Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (C+) 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.