Enrollment
466
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Orange, VA
Prospect Heights Middle
Federal NCES profile for Prospect Heights Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510282001176
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prospect Heights Middle earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Virginia schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Orange · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 68.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Prospect Heights Middle has class sizes smaller than 70% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prospect Heights Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Orange, VA.
School address
District: Orange County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510282001176 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.0%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prospect Heights Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prospect Heights Middle
Prospect Heights Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Orange, Virginia, enrolling 466 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 68.0% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 466 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 252 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #193, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 233 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 207 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 466 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Orange County Public Schools also operates Orange County High (1,477 students) and Locust Grove Middle (685 students) alongside Prospect Heights 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 Prospect Heights Middle compares
Prospect Heights 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.0% | ▲ 18% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 466 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
466
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 30% in Virginia - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
38.8%
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
$12,304
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 233 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
90
in-school suspensions + 117 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 44.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 59.2%
African American 14.4%
Two or More 14.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.9%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 59.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.6, Prospect Heights Middle is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange County Public Schools, which includes Prospect Heights Middle.
$12,304
Per student
-16%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.0%
State 48.4%
Federal 15.6%
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 Prospect Heights Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Locust Grove Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Orange Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Locust Grove Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Locust Grove Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prospect Heights Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,477
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 519
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 500
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
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 (~466 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prospect Heights Middle's federal record.
- Compare Prospect Heights Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Orange 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 Prospect Heights Middle
How many students attend Prospect Heights Middle?
Prospect Heights Middle has 466 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Orange, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prospect Heights Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Prospect Heights Middle is 12.6:1, which is 9% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 20% 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 Prospect Heights Middle?
68.0% of students at Prospect Heights Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prospect Heights Middle?
The largest demographic group at Prospect Heights Middle is White at 59.2% of enrollment, in Orange, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prospect Heights Middle?
Prospect Heights Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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).
How does Prospect Heights Middle rank among public schools in Orange?
By Resource Investment Index, Prospect Heights Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Orange, 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 Orange on the city page.
Is Prospect Heights Middle a good school?
Prospect Heights Middle earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 Orange County Public Schools?
Besides Prospect Heights Middle, Orange County Public Schools also operates Orange County High (1,477 students), Locust Grove Middle (685 students), and Orange Elementary (621 students). See the Orange 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.