Enrollment
1,282
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Forest, VA
Jefferson Forest High
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson Forest High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510036002175
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Jefferson Forest High earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Forest · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.6:1
- students per teacher
- 20.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Jefferson Forest High has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson Forest High ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Forest, VA.
School address
District: Bedford County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510036002175 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
88.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.6%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson Forest High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Jefferson Forest High
Jefferson Forest High is a large high school in Forest, Virginia, enrolling 1,282 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 20.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Virginia, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,282 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 176 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #62.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and African American (7%) (diversity index 42/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 31 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 321 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Bedford County Public Schools also operates Forest Middle (854 students) and Staunton River High (816 students) alongside Jefferson Forest High.
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 Jefferson Forest High compares
Jefferson Forest High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.6% | ▼ 64% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,282 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,282
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 63% in Virginia - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,790
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 321 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
177
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.6 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
White 75.3%
African American 7.4%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 6.6%
Asian 4.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 75.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.7, Jefferson Forest High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 31
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bedford County Public Schools, which includes Jefferson Forest High.
$12,790
Per student
-13%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 52.1%
Federal 15.7%
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 Jefferson Forest High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Staunton River High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Liberty High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Staunton River Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Jefferson Forest High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high 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 (~1,282 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Jefferson Forest High's federal record.
- Compare Jefferson Forest High against another school. Compare schools
- Bedford 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 Jefferson Forest High
How many students attend Jefferson Forest High?
Jefferson Forest High has 1,282 students enrolled. It is a high school in Forest, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Forest High?
The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Forest High is 14.6:1, which is 5% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Jefferson Forest High?
20.6% of students at Jefferson Forest High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson Forest High?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson Forest High is White at 75.3% of enrollment, in Forest, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson Forest High?
Jefferson Forest High has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Jefferson Forest High rank among public schools in Forest?
By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson Forest High ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Forest, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Forest on the city page.
Is Jefferson Forest High a good school?
Jefferson Forest High earns 64/100 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 Bedford County Public Schools?
Besides Jefferson Forest High, Bedford County Public Schools also operates Forest Middle (854 students), Staunton River High (816 students), and Liberty High (708 students). See the Bedford 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.