Enrollment
731
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Fort Defiance, VA
Fort Defiance High
Federal NCES profile for Fort Defiance High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510030000124
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fort Defiance High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Fort Defiance · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.6:1
- students per teacher
- 36.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Fort Defiance High has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fort Defiance High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Fort Defiance, VA.
School address
District: Augusta County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510030000124 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.7%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Defiance High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fort Defiance High
Fort Defiance High is a mid-sized high school in Fort Defiance, Virginia, enrolling 731 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 36.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 731 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 311 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #66.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 244 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
15.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Augusta County Public Schools also operates Wilson Memorial High (837 students) and Edward G. Clymore Elementary (803 students) alongside Fort Defiance High.
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 Fort Defiance High compares
Fort Defiance High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.7% | ▼ 36% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 731 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
731
Bigger than 82% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 63% in Virginia - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,961
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 244 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 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 80.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
African American 3.4%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 80.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.6, Fort Defiance High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Augusta County Public Schools, which includes Fort Defiance High.
$12,961
Per student
-12%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.7%
State 45.2%
Federal 13.1%
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.
How Fort Defiance High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Memorial High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Edward G. Clymore Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverheads Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stuarts Draft High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fort Defiance High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 803
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 714
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 655
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar high 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 (~731 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fort Defiance High's federal record.
- Compare Fort Defiance High against another school. Compare schools
- Augusta 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 Fort Defiance High
How many students attend Fort Defiance High?
Fort Defiance High has 731 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fort Defiance, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Defiance High?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Defiance High is 14.6:1, which is 5% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Fort Defiance High?
36.7% of students at Fort Defiance High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Defiance High?
The largest demographic group at Fort Defiance High is White at 80.4% of enrollment, in Fort Defiance, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Defiance High?
Fort Defiance High has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Fort Defiance High rank among public schools in Fort Defiance?
By Resource Investment Index, Fort Defiance High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Fort Defiance, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fort Defiance on the city page.
Is Fort Defiance High a good school?
Fort Defiance High earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. 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 Augusta County Public Schools?
Besides Fort Defiance High, Augusta County Public Schools also operates Wilson Memorial High (837 students), Edward G. Clymore Elementary (803 students), and Riverheads Elementary (714 students). See the Augusta 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.