Enrollment
530
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510159000669
Giles High — Pearisburg, VA
Federal NCES profile for Giles High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
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: Giles 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)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.6%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Giles 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
Giles High reports 530 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% below the Virginia average and 39% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 530 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Giles County Public Schools spends $11,377 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 24.9% from local sources (property taxes), 66.5% from the state, and 8.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), 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 Giles 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 | 14.3:1 | ▲ 2% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.6% | ▼ 47% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 530 | top 47% | — | — |
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
31.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% below the Virginia average of 59.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 58% in Virginia — lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
23.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,377
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 530 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 530 Top 47% in Virginia — larger than 53% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.6% -47% vs state
NCES ID 510159000669
Student demographics
White 94.2%
Two or More 2.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
African American 1.5%
Largest group: White at 94.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 530:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.2%
In-school suspensions 14
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Giles County Public Schools, which includes Giles High.
$11,377
Per student
-30%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 24.9%
State 66.5%
Federal 8.6%
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
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 440
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 433
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
Similar other schools in Pearisburg
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Giles High
How many students attend Giles High?
Giles High has 530 students enrolled. It is a other school in Pearisburg, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Giles High?
The student-teacher ratio at Giles High is 14.3:1, which is 2% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Giles High?
31.6% of students at Giles High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Giles High?
The largest demographic group at Giles High is White at 94.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Pearisburg, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Giles High?
Giles High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.