Enrollment
240
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 540081001046
Sandy River Middle School — Avondale, WV
Federal NCES profile for Sandy River Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
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: Mcdowell County Schools · West 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 13.7:1 West Virginia avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sandy River Middle School compares with West 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
Sandy River Middle School reports 240 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% above the West Virginia state mean of 13.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 240 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 70.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mcdowell County Schools spends $16,195 per pupil district-wide, below the West Virginia average of $16,253 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.0% from local sources (property taxes), 38.8% from the state, and 33.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Sandy River Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against West 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 West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▲ 16% | 13.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 240 | top 36% | — | — |
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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 83% in West Virginia — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
70.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,195
per pupil, district-wide
— below West Virginia avg of $16,253
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 240 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 240 Top 36% in West Virginia — larger than 64% of 648 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 540081001046
Student demographics
White 99.6%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
Largest group: White at 99.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 240:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 70.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 40
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcdowell County Schools, which includes Sandy River Middle School.
$16,195
Per student
0%
vs West Virginia
Avg $16,253
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.0%
State 38.8%
Federal 33.2%
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
- 521
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 405
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 266
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 201
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
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 Sandy River Middle School
How many students attend Sandy River Middle School?
Sandy River Middle School has 240 students enrolled. It is a middle school in AVONDALE, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sandy River Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sandy River Middle School is 15.9:1, which is 16% higher than the West Virginia average of 13.7:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sandy River Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sandy River Middle School is White at 99.6%. The school serves a student body in AVONDALE, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sandy River Middle School?
Sandy River Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.