Enrollment
943
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 510126002871
South County Middle — Lorton, VA
Federal NCES profile for South County Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 72
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 →
The verdict
South County Middle earns a C+ Resource Investment Index (60/100), with class sizes larger than 84% of Virginia schools.
- C+
- Resource Index · 60/100
- 16.1:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 19.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 943
- students enrolled
School address
District: Fairfax County 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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.9%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South County Middle 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
South County Middle reports 943 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 15.7:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 67% below the Virginia average and 62% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 189 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fairfax County Public Schools spends $17,977 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $14,649 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 66.6% from local sources (property taxes), 23.3% from the state, and 10.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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 South County Middle 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 15% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.9% | ▼ 67% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 943 | top 83% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
16 smaller classes than 38% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
943 larger than 90% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
19.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 67% below the Virginia average of 59.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 84% in Virginia — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.1%
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
$17,977
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $14,649
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 189 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 943 Top 83% in Virginia — larger than 17% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.9% -67% vs state
NCES ID 510126002871
Student demographics
White 40.6%
African American 19.2%
Asian 16.1%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
Two or More 8.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 40.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 189:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.1%
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 44
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfax County Public Schools, which includes South County Middle.
$17,977
Per student
+23%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.6%
State 23.3%
Federal 10.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,411
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 3,710
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3,256
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,937
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,799
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
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 South County Middle
How many students attend South County Middle?
South County Middle has 943 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Lorton, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South County Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at South County Middle is 16.1:1, which is 15% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South County Middle?
19.9% of students at South County Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South County Middle?
The largest demographic group at South County Middle is White at 40.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Lorton, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South County Middle?
South County Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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.
Is South County Middle a good school?
South County Middle earns a C+ Resource Investment Index (60/100), with class sizes larger than 84% of Virginia schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.