Enrollment
280
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fredericksburg, VA
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers
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 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510366003069
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Virginia schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #2 of 14
- schools in Fredericksburg · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 280
- students enrolled
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers has class sizes smaller than 98% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers ranks #2 of 14 schools in Fredericksburg, VA.
School address
District: Stafford County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510366003069 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers is a small combined-grade school in Fredericksburg, Virginia, enrolling 280 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9:1, Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers is leaner than roughly 98% of Virginia schools and 35% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Enrollment of 280 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Its student body is led by African American (29%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 75/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 140 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Among Fredericksburg's public schools, it stands alongside Parkside Elementary (946 students): Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9:1 vs 18.2:1).
Stafford County Public Schools also operates Mountain View High (2,233 students) and Brooke Point High (2,199 students) alongside Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers.
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 Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers compares
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9:1 | ▼ 35% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
9:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 2% in Virginia - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$12,415
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 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 74.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.9, Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stafford County Public Schools, which includes Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers.
$12,415
Per student
-15%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Brooke Point High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stafford Senior High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colonial Forge High | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| North Stafford High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,233
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,199
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,198
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 2,122
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 1,982
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools in Fredericksburg
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Parkside Elementary
Standard public school
946 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Hugh Mercer Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Lafayette Elementary
Standard public school
812 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Cedar Forest Elementary
Standard public school
789 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Harrison Road Elementary
Standard public school
732 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Smith Station Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
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 (~280 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers's federal record.
- Compare Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers against another school. Compare schools
- Stafford 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 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 public 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 9:1, which is 35% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 43% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, in Fredericksburg, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.9/100.
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 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers rank among schools in Fredericksburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers ranks #2 of 14 schools in Fredericksburg, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fredericksburg on the city page.
Is Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers a good school?
Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of Virginia schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Stafford County Public Schools?
Besides Rising Star Early Childhood Education Center at Melchers, Stafford County Public Schools also operates Mountain View High (2,233 students), Brooke Point High (2,199 students), and Stafford Senior High (2,198 students). See the Stafford 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.