Enrollment
513
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Great Falls, VA
Great Falls Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Great Falls Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510126000484
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Great Falls Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 4.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 513
- students enrolled
Great Falls Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Fairfax County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510126000484 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.6%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-92% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Great Falls Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Great Falls Elementary
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Great Falls Elementary is neither an extreme outlier in enrollment nor in student-teacher ratio among Virginia schools. Its profile therefore turns on the other dimensions rather than on scale alone: economic need, counselor coverage, program access, attendance, and district finance. This middle placement is useful because it prevents the campus from being mislabeled as unusually large, small, crowded, or teacher-dense when the federal comparison does not support that claim.
Lower need and stronger resource signals align
Great Falls Elementary reports lower free-meal eligibility than most Virginia schools and an above-typical Resource Investment Index. The two measures move together, a pattern consistent with the resource advantages that often accompany a lower-need intake. That association should not be mistaken for a causal verdict about the school; it is a transparent description of how this campus sits on two independent federal-data dimensions.
A combined-grade campus has a different support burden
Great Falls Elementary serves a combined grade span rather than a conventional elementary, middle, or high-school band. That structure can require the same campus to cover transitions, counseling needs, and programs for students at substantially different developmental stages, so a single staffing ratio deserves more caution than it would at a narrower-grade school. Federal totals show the available people and programs, but not how those resources are divided among grade levels.
Great Falls Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Great Falls, Virginia, enrolling 513 students.
At 13.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 4.6% free-meal eligibility runs 92% below the Virginia average.
With 513 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 109 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #65.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Asian (16%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 342 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
10.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Fairfax County Public Schools spends $17,977 per pupil, 23% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Great Falls's public schools, it stands alongside Forestville Elementary (571 students): Great Falls Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.9:1 vs 15.9:1).
Fairfax County Public Schools also operates Lake Braddock Secondary (4,411 students) and Robinson Secondary (3,710 students) alongside Great Falls 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 Great Falls Elementary compares
Great Falls 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 0% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.6% | ▼ 92% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 513 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
513
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
4.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 92% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 52% in Virginia - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$17,977
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 342 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 64.1%
Asian 16.0%
Two or More 10.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
African American 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 64.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.6, Great Falls Elementary is about as mixed as the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfax County Public Schools, which includes Great Falls Elementary.
$17,977
Per student
+23%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.6%
State 23.3%
Federal 10.1%
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 Great Falls Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Braddock Secondary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robinson Secondary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hayfield Secondary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chantilly High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Springfield High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Great Falls Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,411
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 3,710
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 3,256
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,937
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,799
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Great Falls
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~513 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Great Falls Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Great Falls Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Fairfax 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 Great Falls Elementary
How many students attend Great Falls Elementary?
Great Falls Elementary has 513 students enrolled. It is a public school in Great Falls, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Great Falls Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Great Falls Elementary is 13.9:1, which is 0% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Great Falls Elementary?
4.6% of students at Great Falls Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Great Falls Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Great Falls Elementary is White at 64.1% of enrollment, in Great Falls, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Great Falls Elementary?
Great Falls Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
What other schools are in Fairfax County Public Schools?
Besides Great Falls Elementary, Fairfax County Public Schools also operates Lake Braddock Secondary (4,411 students), Robinson Secondary (3,710 students), and Hayfield Secondary (3,256 students). See the Fairfax 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.