Other / mixed grade configuration · Richmond, VA

Gayton Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Gayton Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510189002123
0/100100/10057/100
👥 S:T ratio
29
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
40
📋 Attendance
90
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Gayton Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Virginia schools.

#13 of 63
schools in Richmond · Resource Index
57
Resource Index · Higher
17.8:1
large classes for Virginia
16.7%
free-lunch eligible

Gayton Elementary has class sizes larger than 95% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Gayton Elementary ranks #13 of 63 schools in Richmond, VA.

Enrollment

605

Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

34.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.8:1

vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg

+28% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

16.7%

vs 57.6% Virginia avg

-71% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Gayton Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Gayton Elementary

Gayton Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Richmond, Virginia, enrolling 605 students.

Class loads run heavy: 17.8:1 is larger than about 95% of Virginia schools and 28% above the 13.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.7% free-meal eligibility runs 71% below the Virginia average.

With 605 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.

Against 260 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #66.

Its student body is led by White (74%) and Asian (10%) (diversity index 43/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Attendance holds up well here: only 4.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

Among Richmond's public schools, it stands alongside Elizabeth Holladay Elementary (859 students): Gayton Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.8:1 vs 16.2:1).

Henrico County Public Schools also operates John Randolph Tucker High (2,132 students) and Deep Run High (1,992 students) alongside Gayton 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 Gayton Elementary compares

Gayton 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 17.8:1 ▲ 28% 13.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 16.7% ▼ 71% 57.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 605 top 43% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
605
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
16.7%
free-lunch eligible - 71% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher - 28% above state mean
Top 95% in Virginia - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$12,658
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 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 74.4%
Asian 9.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.6%
Two or More 5.6%
African American 3.8%

Largest group: White at 74.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 42.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 42.8, Gayton Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Henrico County Public Schools, which includes Gayton Elementary.

$12,658
Per student
-14%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.5%
State 42.1%
Federal 7.4%

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.

How Gayton Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
John Randolph Tucker High Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Deep Run High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Glen Allen High Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Highland Springs High Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Douglas S. Freeman High Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Gayton Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Henrico County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Richmond

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Gayton Elementary's federal record.

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 Gayton Elementary

How many students attend Gayton Elementary?

Gayton Elementary has 605 students enrolled. It is a public school in Richmond, VA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Gayton Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Gayton Elementary is 17.8:1, which is 28% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gayton Elementary?

16.7% of students at Gayton Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gayton Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Gayton Elementary is White at 74.4% of enrollment, in Richmond, VA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Gayton Elementary?

Gayton Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Gayton Elementary rank among schools in Richmond?

By Resource Investment Index, Gayton Elementary ranks #13 of 63 schools in Richmond, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Richmond on the city page.

Is Gayton Elementary a good school?

Gayton Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% 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 Henrico County Public Schools?

Besides Gayton Elementary, Henrico County Public Schools also operates John Randolph Tucker High (2,132 students), Deep Run High (1,992 students), and Glen Allen High (1,939 students). See the Henrico County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.