Middle school (grades 6-8) · Arlington, VA

Jefferson Middle

Federal NCES profile for Jefferson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 65/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510027000098
0/100100/10065/100
👥 S:T ratio
45
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
59
📋 Attendance
87
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Jefferson Middle earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.

#2 of 6
middle schools in Arlington · Resource Index
65
Resource Index · Higher
13.7:1
students per teacher
35.6%
free-lunch eligible

Jefferson Middle has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson Middle ranks #2 of 6 middle schools in Arlington, VA.

Enrollment

1,120

Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

82.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.7:1

vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg

-1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

35.6%

vs 57.6% Virginia avg

-38% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Jefferson Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Jefferson Middle

Jefferson Middle is a large middle school in Arlington, Virginia, enrolling 1,120 students.

At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.6% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 1,120 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Among 193 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (40%) and White (29%) (diversity index 72/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 204 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Attendance holds up well here: only 5.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.

The surrounding Arlington County Public Schools spends $21,782 per pupil, 49% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.

Among Arlington's middle schools, it stands alongside Gunston Middle (1,072 students): Jefferson Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.7:1 vs 12.8:1).

Arlington County Public Schools also operates Washington-Liberty High (3,044 students) and Wakefield High (2,646 students) alongside Jefferson Middle.

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 Middle compares

Jefferson Middle on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Virginia Virginia avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 13.7:1 ▼ 1% 13.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 35.6% ▼ 38% 57.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,120 top 12% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,120
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
35.6%
free-lunch eligible - 38% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.7:1
students per teacher - 1% below state mean
Top 49% in Virginia - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
5.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$21,782
per pupil, district-wide - above Virginia avg of $14,649
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.5 FTE
Per 204 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
46
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.2 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

Hispanic or Latino 39.6%
White 28.6%
African American 17.9%
Asian 8.0%
Two or More 5.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 39.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 72.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 72.0, Jefferson Middle is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arlington County Public Schools, which includes Jefferson Middle.

$21,782
Per student
+49%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.4%
State 12.4%
Federal 8.2%

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.

How Jefferson Middle Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Washington-Liberty High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Wakefield High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Yorktown High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Gunston Middle Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Kenmore Middle Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Jefferson Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Arlington County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Arlington

5 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.

Similar middle 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Jefferson Middle's federal record.

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 Middle

How many students attend Jefferson Middle?

Jefferson Middle has 1,120 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Arlington, VA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Jefferson Middle is 13.7:1, which is 1% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 13% 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 Jefferson Middle?

35.6% of students at Jefferson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jefferson Middle?

The largest demographic group at Jefferson Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 39.6% of enrollment, in Arlington, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.0/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Jefferson Middle?

Jefferson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (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 Jefferson Middle rank among middle schools in Arlington?

By Resource Investment Index, Jefferson Middle ranks #2 of 6 middle schools in Arlington, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Arlington on the city page.

Is Jefferson Middle a good school?

Jefferson Middle earns 65/100 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 Arlington County Public Schools?

Besides Jefferson Middle, Arlington County Public Schools also operates Washington-Liberty High (3,044 students), Wakefield High (2,646 students), and Yorktown High (2,593 students). See the Arlington County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.