Enrollment
486
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lovingston, VA
Nelson County High
Federal NCES profile for Nelson County High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510258001032
👥 S:T ratio 58
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nelson County High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Virginia schools.
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 70.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 486
- students enrolled
Nelson County High has class sizes smaller than 91% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Nelson County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510258001032 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.0%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nelson County High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nelson County High
Nelson County High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Lovingston, Virginia, enrolling 486 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.6:1, Nelson County High is leaner than roughly 91% of Virginia schools and 24% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 70.0% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 486 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 284 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #141.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 48/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 162 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Nelson County Public Schools spends $17,646 per pupil, 20% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 173 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 486 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Nelson County Public Schools also operates Tye River Elementary (360 students) and Nelson Middle (328 students) alongside Nelson County 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 Nelson County High compares
Nelson County 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 24% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.0% | ▲ 22% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
486
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% 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
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 9% in Virginia - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.3%
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
$17,646
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 162 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
87
in-school suspensions + 86 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
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 69.5%
African American 14.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.3%
Two or More 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.3, Nelson County 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 Nelson County Public Schools, which includes Nelson County High.
$17,646
Per student
+20%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.5%
State 30.5%
Federal 11.0%
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 Nelson County High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tye River Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nelson Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rockfish River Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nelson County High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 328
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~486 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nelson County High's federal record.
- Compare Nelson County High against another school. Compare schools
- Nelson 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 Nelson County High
How many students attend Nelson County High?
Nelson County High has 486 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lovingston, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nelson County High?
The student-teacher ratio at Nelson County High is 10.6:1, which is 24% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 32% 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 Nelson County High?
70.0% of students at Nelson County High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nelson County High?
The largest demographic group at Nelson County High is White at 69.5% of enrollment, in Lovingston, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nelson County High?
Nelson County High has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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).
Is Nelson County High a good school?
Nelson County High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of 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 Nelson County Public Schools?
Besides Nelson County High, Nelson County Public Schools also operates Tye River Elementary (360 students), Nelson Middle (328 students), and Rockfish River Elementary (318 students). See the Nelson 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.