Enrollment
105
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Monterey, VA
Highland Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Highland Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 67/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510195000861
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Elementary earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Virginia schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Virginia.
- 67
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.5:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 39.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 105
- students enrolled
Highland Elementary has class sizes smaller than 92% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Highland County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510195000861 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.2%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Elementary
Highland Elementary is a small combined-grade school in Monterey, Virginia, enrolling 105 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.5:1, Highland Elementary is leaner than roughly 92% of Virginia schools and 24% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.2% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of Virginia schools, with 105 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 105 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
16.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Highland County Public Schools spends $24,994 per pupil, 71% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Monterey's public schools, it stands alongside Highland High (103 students): Highland Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (10.5:1 vs 7.4:1).
Its district, Highland County Public Schools, also runs Highland High (103 students).
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 Highland Elementary compares
Highland 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 24% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▼ 32% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 105 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.5:1
Leaner classes than 86% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
105
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.5:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 8% in Virginia - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$24,994
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 105 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 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 96.2%
Two or More 2.9%
African American 1.0%
Largest group: White at 96.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.4, Highland Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland County Public Schools, which includes Highland Elementary.
$24,994
Per student
+71%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+51%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 43.5%
Federal 9.3%
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 Highland Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 103
- Students per teacher
- 7.4:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
Similar other schools in Monterey
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 (~105 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Highland Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Highland 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 Highland Elementary
How many students attend Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary has 105 students enrolled. It is a public school in Monterey, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Elementary is 10.5:1, which is 24% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 33% 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 Highland Elementary?
39.2% of students at Highland Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Highland Elementary is White at 96.2% of enrollment, in Monterey, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Elementary?
Highland Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (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).
Is Highland Elementary a good school?
Highland Elementary earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Virginia schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Virginia. 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 Highland County Public Schools?
Besides Highland Elementary, Highland County Public Schools also operates Highland High (103 students). See the Highland 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.