Enrollment
464
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510042000171
James River High — Buchanan, VA
Federal NCES profile for James River High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 77
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: Botetourt 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.0%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James River High 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 River High reports 464 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% below the Virginia average and 46% below the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 232 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 9.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Botetourt County Public Schools spends $13,357 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 42.6% from local sources (property taxes), 48.0% from the state, and 9.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), calculated from 5 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 River High 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 | 13.9:1 | ▼ 1% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.0% | ▼ 53% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 464 | top 36% | — | — |
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
28.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 49% in Virginia — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
9.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,357
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 232 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 464 Top 36% in Virginia — larger than 64% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.0% -53% vs state
NCES ID 510042000171
Student demographics
White 91.8%
Two or More 3.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.2%
African American 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 232:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 9.1%
In-school suspensions 55
Out-of-school suspensions 15
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Botetourt County Public Schools, which includes James River High.
$13,357
Per student
-18%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 42.6%
State 48.0%
Federal 9.4%
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
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 670
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
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 River High
How many students attend James River High?
James River High has 464 students enrolled. It is a high school in Buchanan, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James River High?
The student-teacher ratio at James River High is 13.9:1, which is 1% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 13% 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 River High?
28.0% of students at James River High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James River High?
The largest demographic group at James River High is White at 91.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Buchanan, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James River High?
James River High has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.