Enrollment
126
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Saltville, VA
Rich Valley Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Rich Valley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510352001564
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rich Valley Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Virginia.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Saltville · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 91.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Rich Valley Elementary has class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rich Valley Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Saltville, VA.
School address
District: Smyth County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510352001564 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.5%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rich Valley Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rich Valley Elementary
Rich Valley Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Saltville, Virginia, enrolling 126 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 91.5% of students qualify for free meals, 59% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of Virginia schools, with 126 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 40 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #14.
Its student body is predominantly White (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 3/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 252 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Saltville's public schools, it stands alongside Saltville Elementary (189 students): Rich Valley Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (11.5:1 vs 10.5:1).
Smyth County Public Schools also operates Chilhowie Elementary (589 students) and Marion Senior High (563 students) alongside Rich Valley Elementary.
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 Rich Valley Elementary compares
Rich Valley Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.5% | ▲ 59% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 126 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
126
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
91.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% 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
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 16% in Virginia - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,836
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 98.4%
African American 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Largest group: White at 98.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.2, Rich Valley Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smyth County Public Schools, which includes Rich Valley Elementary.
$13,836
Per student
-6%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.6%
State 58.5%
Federal 17.9%
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 Rich Valley Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chilhowie Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marion Senior High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marion Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chilhowie High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Point Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rich Valley Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other schools in Saltville
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~126 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rich Valley Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Rich Valley Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Smyth 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 Rich Valley Elementary
How many students attend Rich Valley Elementary?
Rich Valley Elementary has 126 students enrolled. It is a public school in Saltville, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rich Valley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Rich Valley Elementary is 11.5:1, which is 17% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 27% 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 Rich Valley Elementary?
91.5% of students at Rich Valley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rich Valley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Rich Valley Elementary is White at 98.4% of enrollment, in Saltville, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rich Valley Elementary?
Rich Valley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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 Rich Valley Elementary rank among public schools in Saltville?
By Resource Investment Index, Rich Valley Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Saltville, 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 Saltville on the city page.
Is Rich Valley Elementary a good school?
Rich Valley Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Virginia schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Virginia. 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 Smyth County Public Schools?
Besides Rich Valley Elementary, Smyth County Public Schools also operates Chilhowie Elementary (589 students), Marion Senior High (563 students), and Marion Middle (401 students). See the Smyth 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.