Enrollment
187
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Nitro, WV
Rock Branch Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Rock Branch Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 540120000934
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rock Branch Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of West Virginia schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Nitro · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.4:1
- small classes for West Virginia
- 187
- students enrolled
Rock Branch Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of West Virginia schools. Computed live against every West Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rock Branch Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Nitro, WV.
School address
District: Putnam County Schools · West Virginia
NCES ID 540120000934 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 13.1:1 West Virginia avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rock Branch Elementary compares with West Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rock Branch Elementary
Rock Branch Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Nitro, West Virginia, enrolling 187 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of West Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 187 puts it in the smaller third of West Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 643 scored West Virginia schools.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 187 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Putnam County Schools also operates Hurricane High School (1,141 students) and Hurricane Middle (821 students) alongside Rock Branch 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 Rock Branch Elementary compares
Rock Branch Elementary on the metrics families compare, against West Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.4:1 | ▼ 21% | 13.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 187 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
187
Bigger than 18% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 19% in West Virginia - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.8%
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
$13,149
per pupil, district-wide
- below West Virginia avg of $14,844
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 187 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 89.3%
African American 5.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
Two or More 1.6%
Largest group: White at 89.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.8, Rock Branch Elementary is about as mixed as the West Virginia school average of 17.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Putnam County Schools, which includes Rock Branch Elementary.
$13,149
Per student
-11%
vs West Virginia
Avg $14,844
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 48.4%
Federal 12.8%
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 Rock Branch Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hurricane Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winfield High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winfield Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Winfield Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rock Branch Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,141
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 821
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 552
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of West Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~187 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rock Branch Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Rock Branch Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Putnam County 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 Rock Branch Elementary
How many students attend Rock Branch Elementary?
Rock Branch Elementary has 187 students enrolled. It is a public school in Nitro, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rock Branch Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Rock Branch Elementary is 10.4:1, which is 21% lower than the West Virginia average of 13.1:1 and 34% 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 Rock Branch Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Rock Branch Elementary is White at 89.3% of enrollment, in Nitro, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rock Branch Elementary?
Rock Branch Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Rock Branch Elementary rank among public schools in Nitro?
By Resource Investment Index, Rock Branch Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Nitro, WV. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Nitro on the city page.
Is Rock Branch Elementary a good school?
Rock Branch Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of West 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 Putnam County Schools?
Besides Rock Branch Elementary, Putnam County Schools also operates Hurricane High School (1,141 students), Hurricane Middle (821 students), and Winfield High School (743 students). See the Putnam County 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.