Enrollment
767
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510246001009
South Hill Elementary — South Hill, VA
Federal NCES profile for South Hill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 37
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: Mecklenburg 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.6%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Hill 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
South Hill Elementary reports 767 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% above the Virginia average and 69% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 384 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mecklenburg County Public Schools spends $24,803 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.2% from local sources (property taxes), 45.0% from the state, and 14.9% 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 South Hill 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 25% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.6% | ▲ 46% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 767 | top 74% | — | — |
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
87.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 95% in Virginia — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.4%
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
$24,803
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $16,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 384 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
44
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 767 Top 74% in Virginia — larger than 26% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.6% +46% vs state
NCES ID 510246001009
Student demographics
African American 46.0%
White 39.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.6%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 1.6%
Largest group: African American at 46.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 384:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.4%
In-school suspensions 44
Out-of-school suspensions 42
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mecklenburg County Public Schools, which includes South Hill Elementary.
$24,803
Per student
+53%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.2%
State 45.0%
Federal 14.9%
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
- 1,140
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 432
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
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 Hill Elementary
How many students attend South Hill Elementary?
South Hill Elementary has 767 students enrolled. It is a other school in South Hill, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Hill Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South Hill Elementary is 17.5:1, which is 25% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Hill Elementary?
87.6% of students at South Hill Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Hill Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South Hill Elementary is African American at 46.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in South Hill, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Hill Elementary?
South Hill Elementary 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.