Enrollment
516
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Fort Defiance, VA
S. Gordon Stewart Middle
Federal NCES profile for S. Gordon Stewart Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510030001830
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
S. Gordon Stewart Middle earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Fort Defiance · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 43.2%
- free-lunch eligible
S. Gordon Stewart Middle has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, S. Gordon Stewart Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Fort Defiance, VA.
School address
District: Augusta County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510030001830 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.2%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How S. Gordon Stewart Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at S. Gordon Stewart Middle
S. Gordon Stewart Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Fort Defiance, Virginia, enrolling 516 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.2% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 516 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 217 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #56.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 258 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Augusta County Public Schools also operates Wilson Memorial High (837 students) and Edward G. Clymore Elementary (803 students) alongside S. Gordon Stewart Middle.
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 S. Gordon Stewart Middle compares
S. Gordon Stewart Middle on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▲ 3% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.2% | ▼ 25% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 516 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
516
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 58% in Virginia - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.3%
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
$12,961
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 258 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
36
in-school suspensions + 59 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.4 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 80.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 3.7%
African American 1.7%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 80.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.1, S. Gordon Stewart Middle is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Augusta County Public Schools, which includes S. Gordon Stewart Middle.
$12,961
Per student
-12%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.7%
State 45.2%
Federal 13.1%
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 S. Gordon Stewart Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Memorial High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Edward G. Clymore Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort Defiance High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Riverheads Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stuarts Draft High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to S. Gordon Stewart Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 803
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 714
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar middle 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 (~516 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on S. Gordon Stewart Middle's federal record.
- Compare S. Gordon Stewart Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Augusta 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 S. Gordon Stewart Middle
How many students attend S. Gordon Stewart Middle?
S. Gordon Stewart Middle has 516 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fort Defiance, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at S. Gordon Stewart Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at S. Gordon Stewart Middle is 14.3:1, which is 3% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at S. Gordon Stewart Middle?
43.2% of students at S. Gordon Stewart Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of S. Gordon Stewart Middle?
The largest demographic group at S. Gordon Stewart Middle is White at 80.6% of enrollment, in Fort Defiance, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for S. Gordon Stewart Middle?
S. Gordon Stewart Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 S. Gordon Stewart Middle rank among public schools in Fort Defiance?
By Resource Investment Index, S. Gordon Stewart Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Fort Defiance, 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 Fort Defiance on the city page.
Is S. Gordon Stewart Middle a good school?
S. Gordon Stewart Middle earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. 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 Augusta County Public Schools?
Besides S. Gordon Stewart Middle, Augusta County Public Schools also operates Wilson Memorial High (837 students), Edward G. Clymore Elementary (803 students), and Fort Defiance High (731 students). See the Augusta 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.