Enrollment
1,982
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510366001979
North Stafford High — Stafford, VA
Federal NCES profile for North Stafford High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 51
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 52
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Stafford County Public Schools · Virginia
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
158.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.1%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How North Stafford High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
North Stafford High reports 1,982 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 158.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% below the Virginia average and 25% below the national baseline. The school offers 21 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 330 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Stafford County Public Schools spends $13,111 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.8% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% from the state, and 11.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How North Stafford High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Virginia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.2:1 | ▼ 13% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.1% | ▼ 35% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,982 | top 97% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
39.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 35% below the Virginia average of 59.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 22% in Virginia — lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$13,111
per pupil, district-wide
— below Virginia avg of $16,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 330 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
171
in-school suspensions + 177 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,982 Top 97% in Virginia — larger than 3% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 158.0
Students per teacher 12.2:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.1% -35% vs state
NCES ID 510366001979
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 34.3%
African American 26.4%
White 25.8%
Two or More 7.7%
Asian 5.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 34.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 21
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 330:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.2%
In-school suspensions 171
Out-of-school suspensions 177
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stafford County Public Schools, which includes North Stafford High.
$13,111
Per student
-19%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 52.1%
Federal 11.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,233
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,199
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,198
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 1,063
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
Similar high schools in Stafford
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about North Stafford High
How many students attend North Stafford High?
North Stafford High has 1,982 students enrolled. It is a high school in Stafford, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Stafford High?
The student-teacher ratio at North Stafford High is 12.2:1, which is 13% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 23% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at North Stafford High?
39.1% of students at North Stafford High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Stafford High?
The largest demographic group at North Stafford High is Hispanic or Latino at 34.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Stafford, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for North Stafford High?
North Stafford High has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.