Enrollment
328
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Lovingston, VA
Nelson Middle
Federal NCES profile for Nelson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510258001033
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nelson Middle earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Virginia schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.6:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 77.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 328
- students enrolled
Nelson Middle 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 510258001033 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.9%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nelson Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nelson Middle
Nelson Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Lovingston, Virginia, enrolling 328 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.6:1, Nelson Middle 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 328 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 286 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #201.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 219 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.9% 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: 126 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 328 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Nelson County Public Schools also operates Nelson County High (486 students) and Tye River Elementary (360 students) alongside Nelson 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 Nelson Middle compares
Nelson 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 24% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.9% | ▲ 35% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 328 | top 82% | - | - |
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.
328
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
40.9%
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
$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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 219 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
87
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 26.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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 68.3%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
African American 10.4%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 68.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.6, Nelson Middle is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nelson County Public Schools, which includes Nelson Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson County High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tye River Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rockfish River Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nelson Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~328 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nelson Middle's federal record.
- Compare Nelson Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Nelson Middle?
Nelson Middle has 328 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lovingston, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nelson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Nelson Middle 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 Middle?
77.9% of students at Nelson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nelson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Nelson Middle is White at 68.3% of enrollment, in Lovingston, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nelson Middle?
Nelson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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).
Is Nelson Middle a good school?
Nelson Middle earns 46/100 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 Middle, Nelson County Public Schools also operates Nelson County High (486 students), Tye River Elementary (360 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.