Enrollment
1,198
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 510313001951
Herbert J. Saunders Middle — Manassas, VA
Federal NCES profile for Herbert J. Saunders Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 71
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: Prince William 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)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.8%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Herbert J. Saunders Middle 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
Herbert J. Saunders Middle reports 1,198 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 77.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% below the Virginia average and 37% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 300 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Prince William County Public Schools spends $15,984 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.2% from local sources (property taxes), 44.1% 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 54/100 (C-), 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 Herbert J. Saunders Middle 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 18% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.8% | ▼ 45% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,198 | top 89% | — | — |
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
32.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 89% in Virginia — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,984
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 300 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 92 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,198 Top 89% in Virginia — larger than 11% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 77.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.8% -45% vs state
NCES ID 510313001951
Student demographics
White 31.2%
Hispanic or Latino 30.6%
African American 18.5%
Asian 12.9%
Two or More 6.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 31.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 300:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.7%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 92
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Prince William County Public Schools, which includes Herbert J. Saunders Middle.
$15,984
Per student
-1%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 44.1%
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
- 2,956
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,898
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,661
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 2,524
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
Similar middle schools in Manassas
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Parkside Middle
Standard public school
1,352 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Louise a. Benton Middle
Standard public school
1,339 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Grace E. Metz Middle
Standard public school
1,111 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Unity Braxton Middle
Standard public school
1,055 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
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 Herbert J. Saunders Middle
How many students attend Herbert J. Saunders Middle?
Herbert J. Saunders Middle has 1,198 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Manassas, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Herbert J. Saunders Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Herbert J. Saunders Middle is 16.5:1, which is 18% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Herbert J. Saunders Middle?
32.8% of students at Herbert J. Saunders Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Herbert J. Saunders Middle?
The largest demographic group at Herbert J. Saunders Middle is White at 31.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Manassas, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Herbert J. Saunders Middle?
Herbert J. Saunders Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.