Enrollment
280
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510366003069
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers — Fredericksburg, VA
Federal NCES profile for Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
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: Stafford 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers 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
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers reports 280 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% 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 38% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 140 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Stafford County Public Schools spends $13,111 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.8% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% from the state, and 11.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 3 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 Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 30% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 13% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
9.8:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 4% in Virginia — lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$13,111
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 140 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 280 Top 13% in Virginia — larger than 87% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 9.8:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 510366003069
Student demographics
African American 28.6%
Hispanic or Latino 28.6%
White 27.5%
Two or More 7.9%
Asian 7.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 28.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 140:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stafford County Public Schools, which includes Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers.
$13,111
Per student
-19%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 52.1%
Federal 11.1%
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
- 2,233
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,199
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,198
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 1,982
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
Similar other schools in Fredericksburg
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Parkside Elementary
Standard public school
946 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Hugh Mercer Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Lafayette Elementary
Standard public school
812 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Cedar Forest Elementary
Standard public school
789 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Harrison Road Elementary
Standard public school
732 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Smith Station Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
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 Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers
How many students attend Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers?
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers has 280 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fredericksburg, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers?
The student-teacher ratio at Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers is 9.8:1, which is 30% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers?
The largest demographic group at Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers is Hispanic or Latino at 28.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fredericksburg, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers?
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.