Enrollment
1,282
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510036002175
Jefferson Forest High — Forest, VA
Federal NCES profile for Jefferson Forest High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 63/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 71
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: Bedford 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)
88.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.6%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jefferson Forest 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
Jefferson Forest High reports 1,282 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 88.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 20.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 66% below the Virginia average and 60% below the national baseline. The school offers 31 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 321 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bedford County Public Schools spends $14,207 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.1% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% from the state, and 15.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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 Jefferson Forest 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.6% | ▼ 66% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,282 | top 91% | — | — |
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
20.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 66% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 69% in Virginia — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,207
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
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
Enrollment 1,282 Top 91% in Virginia — larger than 9% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 88.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 20.6% -66% vs state
NCES ID 510036002175
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 31
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 321:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.6%
In-school suspensions 177
Out-of-school suspensions 36
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bedford County Public Schools, which includes Jefferson Forest High.
$14,207
Per student
-12%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
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 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 14.9:1, which is 6% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
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 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson Forest High?
The largest demographic group at Jefferson Forest High is White at 75.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Forest, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson Forest High?
Jefferson Forest High has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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.