Enrollment
1,215
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Petersburg, VA
Petersburg High
Federal NCES profile for Petersburg High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510291001198
👥 S:T ratio 37
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Petersburg High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of Virginia schools.
- #4 of 7
- public schools in Petersburg · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 97.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Petersburg High has class sizes larger than 80% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Petersburg High ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Petersburg, VA.
School address
District: Petersburg City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510291001198 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.1%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Petersburg High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Petersburg High
Petersburg High is a high-poverty, large high school in Petersburg, Virginia, enrolling 1,215 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 97.1% of students qualify for free meals, 69% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Virginia, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,215 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 79 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #71, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 304 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 573 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,215 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 91 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Petersburg City Public Schools also operates Vernon Johns Middle (949 students) and Walnut Hill Elementary (574 students) alongside Petersburg 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 Petersburg High compares
Petersburg 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 | 15.8:1 | ▲ 14% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.1% | ▲ 69% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,215 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,215
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
97.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 80% in Virginia - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
44.5%
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
$15,113
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 304 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
225
in-school suspensions + 348 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 47.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 91 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
African American 81.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
White 3.6%
Asian 0.9%
Two or More 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 81.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.6, Petersburg High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Petersburg City Public Schools, which includes Petersburg High.
$15,113
Per student
+3%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.8%
State 58.1%
Federal 25.0%
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 Petersburg High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Johns Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Walnut Hill Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cool Spring Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pleasants Lane Elementary | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Westview Early Childhood Education Center | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Petersburg High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 949
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 574
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 540
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 493
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 418
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~1,215 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Petersburg High's federal record.
- Compare Petersburg High against another school. Compare schools
- Petersburg City 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 Petersburg High
How many students attend Petersburg High?
Petersburg High has 1,215 students enrolled. It is a high school in Petersburg, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Petersburg High?
The student-teacher ratio at Petersburg High is 15.8:1, which is 14% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Petersburg High?
97.1% of students at Petersburg High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Petersburg High?
The largest demographic group at Petersburg High is African American at 81.6% of enrollment, in Petersburg, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Petersburg High?
Petersburg High has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Petersburg High rank among public schools in Petersburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Petersburg High ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Petersburg, 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 Petersburg on the city page.
Is Petersburg High a good school?
Petersburg High earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% 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 Petersburg City Public Schools?
Besides Petersburg High, Petersburg City Public Schools also operates Vernon Johns Middle (949 students), Walnut Hill Elementary (574 students), and Cool Spring Elementary (540 students). See the Petersburg City 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.