Enrollment
432
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510156000301
Galax High — Galax, VA
Federal NCES profile for Galax High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 51
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: Galax City 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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.1%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Galax High 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
Galax High reports 432 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% above the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 88.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% above the Virginia average and 70% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 216 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Galax City Public Schools spends $15,357 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.6% from local sources (property taxes), 52.0% from the state, and 23.4% 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 5 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 Galax High 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 0% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.1% | ▲ 47% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 432 | top 31% | — | — |
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
88.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
14:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 52% in Virginia — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.7%
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
$15,357
per pupil, district-wide
— below Virginia avg of $16,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 216 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
47
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 432 Top 31% in Virginia — larger than 69% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 14:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 88.1% +47% vs state
NCES ID 510156000301
Student demographics
White 56.9%
Hispanic or Latino 34.5%
African American 5.8%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 216:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.7%
In-school suspensions 47
Out-of-school suspensions 41
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Galax City Public Schools, which includes Galax High.
$15,357
Per student
-5%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.6%
State 52.0%
Federal 23.4%
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
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 335
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
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 Galax High
How many students attend Galax High?
Galax High has 432 students enrolled. It is a high school in Galax, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Galax High?
The student-teacher ratio at Galax High is 14:1, which is 0% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Galax High?
88.1% of students at Galax High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Galax High?
The largest demographic group at Galax High is White at 56.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Galax, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Galax High?
Galax High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 5 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.