Enrollment
126
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510352001564
Rich Valley Elementary — Saltville, VA
Federal NCES profile for Rich Valley Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 66
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: Smyth 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)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.5%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rich Valley Elementary 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
Rich Valley Elementary reports 126 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% 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 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 91.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% above the Virginia average and 77% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 252 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Smyth County Public Schools spends $14,247 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.6% from local sources (property taxes), 58.5% from the state, and 17.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 4 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 Rich Valley Elementary 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 16% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.5% | ▲ 53% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 126 | top 2% | — | — |
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
91.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% above the Virginia average of 59.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 17% in Virginia — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
13.5%
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
$14,247
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 252 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 126 Top 2% in Virginia — larger than 98% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 91.5% +53% vs state
NCES ID 510352001564
Student demographics
White 98.4%
African American 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Largest group: White at 98.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 252:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smyth County Public Schools, which includes Rich Valley Elementary.
$14,247
Per student
-12%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
Similar other schools in Saltville
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Rich Valley Elementary
How many students attend Rich Valley Elementary?
Rich Valley Elementary has 126 students enrolled. It is a other school in Saltville, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rich Valley Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Rich Valley Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 16% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 26% 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 Rich Valley Elementary?
91.5% of students at Rich Valley Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rich Valley Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Rich Valley Elementary is White at 98.4%. The school serves a student body in Saltville, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rich Valley Elementary?
Rich Valley Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.