Enrollment
563
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Marion, VA
Marion Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Marion Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510352001562
👥 S:T ratio 59
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 15
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Marion Senior High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Marion · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.2:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 83.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Marion Senior High has class sizes smaller than 93% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Marion Senior High ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Marion, VA.
School address
District: Smyth County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510352001562 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.5%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Marion Senior High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Marion Senior High
Marion Senior High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Marion, Virginia, enrolling 563 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.2:1, Marion Senior High is leaner than roughly 93% of Virginia schools and 27% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 83.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 563 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 431 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #237.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.1% 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 Middle (401 students) alongside Marion Senior 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 Marion Senior High compares
Marion Senior 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 | 10.2:1 | ▼ 27% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.5% | ▲ 45% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 563 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
563
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 7% in Virginia - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.1%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 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 92.5%
African American 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Two or More 1.1%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 92.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.2, Marion Senior High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smyth County Public Schools, which includes Marion Senior High.
$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 Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chilhowie Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marion Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chilhowie High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Oak Point Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marion Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Marion Senior High'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
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- 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 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 (~563 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Marion Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Marion Senior High 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 Senior High
How many students attend Marion Senior High?
Marion Senior High has 563 students enrolled. It is a high school in Marion, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Marion Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Marion Senior High is 10.2:1, which is 27% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 35% 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 Senior High?
83.5% of students at Marion Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marion Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Marion Senior High is White at 92.5% of enrollment, in Marion, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marion Senior High?
Marion Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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 Marion Senior High rank among public schools in Marion?
By Resource Investment Index, Marion Senior High ranks #4 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 Senior High a good school?
Marion Senior High earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Senior High, Smyth County Public Schools also operates Chilhowie Elementary (589 students), Marion Middle (401 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.