Enrollment
322
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ashland, VA
John M. Gandy Elementary
Federal NCES profile for John M. Gandy Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 510183000771
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
John M. Gandy Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Ashland · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
John M. Gandy Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, John M. Gandy Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Ashland, VA.
School address
District: Hanover County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510183000771 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How John M. Gandy Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at John M. Gandy Elementary
John M. Gandy Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Ashland, Virginia, enrolling 322 students.
At 13.4:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 46.3% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 322 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 63 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #22.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 322 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Hanover County Public Schools also operates Atlee High (1,470 students) and Hanover High (1,349 students) alongside John M. Gandy Elementary.
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 John M. Gandy Elementary compares
John M. Gandy Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 20% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 322 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
322
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 44% in Virginia - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,547
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 322 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hanover County Public Schools, which includes John M. Gandy Elementary.
$12,547
Per student
-14%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.1%
State 43.1%
Federal 11.8%
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 John M. Gandy Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlee High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hanover High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Patrick Henry High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mechanicsville High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chickahominy Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to John M. Gandy Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,470
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 1,349
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 1,294
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 1,245
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 1,199
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar elementary 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 (~322 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on John M. Gandy Elementary's federal record.
- Compare John M. Gandy Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Hanover 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 John M. Gandy Elementary
How many students attend John M. Gandy Elementary?
John M. Gandy Elementary has 322 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ashland, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John M. Gandy Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at John M. Gandy Elementary is 13.4:1, which is 4% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 15% 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 John M. Gandy Elementary?
46.3% of students at John M. Gandy Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for John M. Gandy Elementary?
John M. Gandy Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 John M. Gandy Elementary rank among public schools in Ashland?
By Resource Investment Index, John M. Gandy Elementary ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Ashland, 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 Ashland on the city page.
Is John M. Gandy Elementary a good school?
John M. Gandy Elementary earns 57/100 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 Hanover County Public Schools?
Besides John M. Gandy Elementary, Hanover County Public Schools also operates Atlee High (1,470 students), Hanover High (1,349 students), and Patrick Henry High (1,294 students). See the Hanover 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.