Enrollment
401
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Marion, VA
Marion Middle
Federal NCES profile for Marion Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510352001560
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Marion Middle earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Marion · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 96.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Marion Middle has class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Marion Middle ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Marion, VA.
School address
District: Smyth County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510352001560 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.5%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Marion Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Marion Middle
Marion Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Marion, Virginia, enrolling 401 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 96.5% of students qualify for free meals, 68% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 401 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 290 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #127.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 21/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 267 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Smyth County Public Schools also operates Chilhowie Elementary (589 students) and Marion Senior High (563 students) alongside Marion 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 Marion Middle compares
Marion 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.5% | ▲ 68% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 401 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
401
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 68% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 16% in Virginia - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
29.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,836
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 267 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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 88.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
African American 3.2%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 88.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.7, Marion Middle is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smyth County Public Schools, which includes Marion Middle.
$13,836
Per student
-6%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 58.5%
Federal 17.9%
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 Marion Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chilhowie Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marion Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chilhowie High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Point Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marion Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Marion Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 298
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~401 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Marion Middle's federal record.
- Compare Marion Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Smyth 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 Marion Middle
How many students attend Marion Middle?
Marion Middle has 401 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Marion, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Marion Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Marion Middle is 11.5:1, which is 17% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 27% 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 Marion Middle?
96.5% of students at Marion Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marion Middle?
The largest demographic group at Marion Middle is White at 88.8% of enrollment, in Marion, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marion Middle?
Marion Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Marion Middle rank among public schools in Marion?
By Resource Investment Index, Marion Middle ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Marion, 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 Marion on the city page.
Is Marion Middle a good school?
Marion Middle earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools. 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 Smyth County Public Schools?
Besides Marion Middle, Smyth County Public Schools also operates Chilhowie Elementary (589 students), Marion Senior High (563 students), and Chilhowie High (384 students). See the Smyth 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.