Enrollment
835
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chesterfield, VA
J.a. Chalkley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for J.a. Chalkley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510084000334
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
J.a. Chalkley Elementary earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Chesterfield · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 81.8%
- free-lunch eligible
J.a. Chalkley Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, J.a. Chalkley Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in Chesterfield, VA.
School address
District: Chesterfield County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510084000334 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.8%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How J.a. Chalkley Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at J.a. Chalkley Elementary
J.a. Chalkley Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Chesterfield, Virginia, enrolling 835 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 835 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 284 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #66.
Its student body is led by African American (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (44%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 278 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Chesterfield's public schools, it stands alongside Winterpock Elementary (834 students): J.a. Chalkley Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 18.5:1).
Chesterfield County Public Schools also operates Thomas Dale High (2,582 students) and Cosby High (2,507 students) alongside J.a. Chalkley 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 J.a. Chalkley Elementary compares
J.a. Chalkley 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.8% | ▲ 42% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 835 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
835
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 36% in Virginia - lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,207
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 278 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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
African American 45.5%
Hispanic or Latino 43.6%
White 6.1%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 45.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.8, J.a. Chalkley Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chesterfield County Public Schools, which includes J.a. Chalkley Elementary.
$12,207
Per student
-17%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.8%
State 47.1%
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 J.a. Chalkley Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Dale High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cosby High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Manchester High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lloyd C. Bird High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Midlothian High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to J.a. Chalkley Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,582
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,507
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 2,236
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 2,131
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,048
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Chesterfield
3 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 (~835 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on J.a. Chalkley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare J.a. Chalkley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Chesterfield 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 J.a. Chalkley Elementary
How many students attend J.a. Chalkley Elementary?
J.a. Chalkley Elementary has 835 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chesterfield, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at J.a. Chalkley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at J.a. Chalkley Elementary is 13:1, which is 6% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 17% 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 J.a. Chalkley Elementary?
81.8% of students at J.a. Chalkley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of J.a. Chalkley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at J.a. Chalkley Elementary is African American at 45.5% of enrollment, in Chesterfield, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for J.a. Chalkley Elementary?
J.a. Chalkley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 J.a. Chalkley Elementary rank among schools in Chesterfield?
By Resource Investment Index, J.a. Chalkley Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in Chesterfield, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Chesterfield on the city page.
Is J.a. Chalkley Elementary a good school?
J.a. Chalkley Elementary earns 53/100 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 Chesterfield County Public Schools?
Besides J.a. Chalkley Elementary, Chesterfield County Public Schools also operates Thomas Dale High (2,582 students), Cosby High (2,507 students), and Manchester High (2,236 students). See the Chesterfield 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.