Enrollment
299
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 510120000420
James H. Cary Intermediate — Tappahannock, VA
Federal NCES profile for James H. Cary Intermediate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 21
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: Essex 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
101.8%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James H. Cary Intermediate 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
James H. Cary Intermediate reports 299 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 33% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 101.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% above the Virginia average and 97% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 299 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Essex County Public Schools spends $16,660 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.9% from local sources (property taxes), 46.9% from the state, and 18.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 James H. Cary Intermediate 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 24% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 101.8% | ▲ 70% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 299 | top 15% | — | — |
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
101.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% 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
10.7:1
students per teacher
— 24% below state mean
Top 7% in Virginia — lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.8%
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
$16,660
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $16,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 299 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
92
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 30.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 46.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 299 Top 15% in Virginia — larger than 85% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 10.7:1 -24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 101.8% +70% vs state
NCES ID 510120000420
Student demographics
African American 52.5%
White 24.7%
Two or More 13.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 52.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 299:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.8%
In-school suspensions 92
Out-of-school suspensions 48
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Essex County Public Schools, which includes James H. Cary Intermediate.
$16,660
Per student
+3%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.9%
State 46.9%
Federal 18.2%
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
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
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 James H. Cary Intermediate
How many students attend James H. Cary Intermediate?
James H. Cary Intermediate has 299 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Tappahannock, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James H. Cary Intermediate?
The student-teacher ratio at James H. Cary Intermediate is 10.7:1, which is 24% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 33% 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 James H. Cary Intermediate?
101.8% of students at James H. Cary Intermediate are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James H. Cary Intermediate?
The largest demographic group at James H. Cary Intermediate is African American at 52.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Tappahannock, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James H. Cary Intermediate?
James H. Cary Intermediate has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) 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.