Enrollment
489
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Bluefield, VA
Graham High
Federal NCES profile for Graham High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510381001653
👥 S:T ratio 51
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 24
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Graham High earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Bluefield · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 83.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Graham High has class sizes smaller than 76% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Graham High ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Bluefield, VA.
School address
District: Tazewell County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510381001653 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.2%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Graham High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Graham High
Graham High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Bluefield, Virginia, enrolling 489 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 83.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 489 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 421 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #197.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 26/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 245 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Tazewell County Public Schools spends $11,631 per pupil, 21% below the Virginia average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Tazewell County Public Schools also operates Richlands Elementary (576 students) and Richlands High (557 students) alongside Graham 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 Graham High compares
Graham 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.2% | ▲ 44% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 489 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
489
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 24% in Virginia - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
30.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,631
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 245 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.2 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 85.9%
African American 5.7%
Two or More 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.5, Graham High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tazewell County Public Schools, which includes Graham High.
$11,631
Per student
-21%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.6%
State 65.5%
Federal 12.9%
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 Graham High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richlands Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Richlands High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tazewell High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Richlands Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tazewell Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Graham High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~489 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Graham High's federal record.
- Compare Graham High against another school. Compare schools
- Tazewell 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 Graham High
How many students attend Graham High?
Graham High has 489 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bluefield, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Graham High?
The student-teacher ratio at Graham High is 12.2:1, which is 12% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Graham High?
83.2% of students at Graham High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Graham High?
The largest demographic group at Graham High is White at 85.9% of enrollment, in Bluefield, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Graham High?
Graham High has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Graham High rank among public schools in Bluefield?
By Resource Investment Index, Graham High ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Bluefield, 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 Bluefield on the city page.
Is Graham High a good school?
Graham High earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Tazewell County Public Schools?
Besides Graham High, Tazewell County Public Schools also operates Richlands Elementary (576 students), Richlands High (557 students), and Tazewell High (509 students). See the Tazewell 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.