Enrollment
1,282
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510177001848
Halifax County High — South Boston, VA
Federal NCES profile for Halifax County High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 50
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
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: Halifax 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)
112.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.1%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Halifax County 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
Halifax County High reports 1,282 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 112.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 90.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the Virginia average and 74% above the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 256 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 50.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Halifax County Public Schools spends $14,349 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.4% from local sources (property taxes), 58.8% from the state, and 17.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Halifax County 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 11% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.1% | ▲ 50% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,282 | top 91% | — | — |
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
90.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 26% in Virginia — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
50.3%
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
$14,349
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 256 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
135
in-school suspensions + 306 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,282 Top 91% in Virginia — larger than 9% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 112.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 90.1% +50% vs state
NCES ID 510177001848
Student demographics
White 45.8%
African American 43.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
Two or More 4.5%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 45.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 256:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 50.3%
In-school suspensions 135
Out-of-school suspensions 306
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Halifax County Public Schools, which includes Halifax County High.
$14,349
Per student
-11%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 23.4%
State 58.8%
Federal 17.8%
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
- 847
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 683
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 572
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
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 Halifax County High
How many students attend Halifax County High?
Halifax County High has 1,282 students enrolled. It is a high school in South Boston, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Halifax County High?
The student-teacher ratio at Halifax County High is 12.5:1, which is 11% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Halifax County High?
90.1% of students at Halifax County High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Halifax County High?
The largest demographic group at Halifax County High is White at 45.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in South Boston, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Halifax County High?
Halifax County High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 5 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.