Enrollment
1,328
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510303001268
Powhatan High — Powhatan, VA
Federal NCES profile for Powhatan High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 41
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 →
The verdict
Powhatan High earns a C Resource Investment Index (57/100), with class sizes larger than 71% of Virginia schools.
- C
- Resource Index · 57/100
- 15.1:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 24.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,328
- students enrolled
School address
District: Powhatan 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)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.0%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-60% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Powhatan 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
Powhatan High reports 1,328 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 93.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 60% below the Virginia average and 54% below the national baseline. The school offers 18 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 266 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Powhatan County Public Schools spends $13,409 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.3% from local sources (property taxes), 45.9% from the state, and 8.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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 Powhatan 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 8% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.0% | ▼ 60% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,328 | top 92% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
15 smaller classes than 48% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
1,328 larger than 95% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
24.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 60% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 71% in Virginia — lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,409
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 266 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
68
in-school suspensions + 92 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,328 Top 92% in Virginia — larger than 8% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 93.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.0% -60% vs state
NCES ID 510303001268
Student demographics
White 83.4%
African American 5.9%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 83.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 266:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.7%
In-school suspensions 68
Out-of-school suspensions 92
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Powhatan County Public Schools, which includes Powhatan High.
$13,409
Per student
-17%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.3%
State 45.9%
Federal 8.8%
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
- 950
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 654
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 477
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
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 Powhatan High
How many students attend Powhatan High?
Powhatan High has 1,328 students enrolled. It is a high school in Powhatan, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Powhatan High?
The student-teacher ratio at Powhatan High is 15.1:1, which is 8% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Powhatan High?
24.0% of students at Powhatan High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Powhatan High?
The largest demographic group at Powhatan High is White at 83.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Powhatan, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Powhatan High?
Powhatan High has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (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.