Enrollment
613
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 510300001257
Simonsdale Elementary — Portsmouth, VA
Federal NCES profile for Simonsdale Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 52
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: Portsmouth City 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.3%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Simonsdale Elementary 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
Simonsdale Elementary reports 613 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% above the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 67% above the Virginia average and 94% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 307 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Portsmouth City Public Schools spends $14,083 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.7% from local sources (property taxes), 54.9% from the state, and 12.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 Simonsdale Elementary 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 | 14.6:1 | ▲ 4% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.3% | ▲ 67% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 613 | top 59% | — | — |
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.
Economic need
100.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 67% above the Virginia average of 59.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 63% in Virginia — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,083
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 307 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 613 Top 59% in Virginia — larger than 41% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 14.6:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.3% +67% vs state
NCES ID 510300001257
Student demographics
African American 42.1%
White 40.8%
Two or More 8.6%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 42.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 307:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.2%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 37
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portsmouth City Public Schools, which includes Simonsdale Elementary.
$14,083
Per student
-13%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.7%
State 54.9%
Federal 12.4%
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
- 1,453
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,149
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,009
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 798
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Portsmouth
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Churchland Elementary
Standard public school
721 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Churchland Academy Elementary
Standard public school
626 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Cradock Elementary
Standard public school
616 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Victory Elementary
Standard public school
586 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Waterview Elementary
Standard public school
576 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Douglass Park Elementary
Standard public school
510 students 13.8:1 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 Simonsdale Elementary
How many students attend Simonsdale Elementary?
Simonsdale Elementary has 613 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Portsmouth, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Simonsdale Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Simonsdale Elementary is 14.6:1, which is 4% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Simonsdale Elementary?
100.3% of students at Simonsdale Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Simonsdale Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Simonsdale Elementary is African American at 42.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Portsmouth, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Simonsdale Elementary?
Simonsdale Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.