Enrollment
279
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Blacksburg, VA
Harding Avenue Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Harding Avenue Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 510252001024
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 89
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harding Avenue Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #1 of 7
- public schools in Blacksburg · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 15.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Harding Avenue Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harding Avenue Elementary ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Blacksburg, VA.
School address
District: Montgomery County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510252001024 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.9%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harding Avenue Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harding Avenue Elementary
Harding Avenue Elementary is a lower-poverty, small elementary school in Blacksburg, Virginia, enrolling 279 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 15.9% free-meal eligibility runs 72% below the Virginia average.
Enrollment of 279 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 36 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #7.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Asian (12%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Blacksburg's elementary schools, it stands alongside Kipps Elementary (358 students): Harding Avenue Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.7:1 vs 12.8:1).
Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Blacksburg High (1,325 students) and Christiansburg High (1,072 students) alongside Harding Avenue 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 Harding Avenue Elementary compares
Harding Avenue 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.9% | ▼ 72% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 279 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
279
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 32% in Virginia - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
4.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$13,803
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 279 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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 70.6%
Asian 11.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.8%
Two or More 6.8%
African American 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 70.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.8, Harding Avenue Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Harding Avenue Elementary.
$13,803
Per student
-6%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.4%
State 48.5%
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 Harding Avenue Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksburg High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Christiansburg High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blacksburg Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Christiansburg Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Auburn Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Harding Avenue Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,325
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 958
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 778
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 544
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar elementary schools in Blacksburg
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~279 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harding Avenue Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Harding Avenue Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Montgomery 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 Harding Avenue Elementary
How many students attend Harding Avenue Elementary?
Harding Avenue Elementary has 279 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Blacksburg, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harding Avenue Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Harding Avenue Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 9% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 19% 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 Harding Avenue Elementary?
15.9% of students at Harding Avenue Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harding Avenue Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Harding Avenue Elementary is White at 70.6% of enrollment, in Blacksburg, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harding Avenue Elementary?
Harding Avenue Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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 Harding Avenue Elementary rank among public schools in Blacksburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Harding Avenue Elementary ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Blacksburg, 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 Blacksburg on the city page.
Is Harding Avenue Elementary a good school?
Harding Avenue Elementary earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. 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 Montgomery County Public Schools?
Besides Harding Avenue Elementary, Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Blacksburg High (1,325 students), Christiansburg High (1,072 students), and Blacksburg Middle (958 students). See the Montgomery 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.