Enrollment
316
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Grottoes, VA
South River Elementary
Federal NCES profile for South River Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510339000954
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South River Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 43.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 316
- students enrolled
South River Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Rockingham County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510339000954 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.4%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South River Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at South River Elementary
South River Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Grottoes, Virginia, enrolling 316 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.4% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 316 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 67 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #62, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 316 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Rockingham County Public Schools also operates Turner Ashby High (998 students) and Broadway High (932 students) alongside South River Elementary.
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 South River Elementary compares
South River Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▲ 8% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.4% | ▼ 25% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 316 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
316
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.4%
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
15:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 68% in Virginia - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,933
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 316 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 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 66.1%
Hispanic or Latino 19.9%
Two or More 8.2%
African American 5.7%
Largest group: White at 66.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.4, South River Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rockingham County Public Schools, which includes South River Elementary.
$13,933
Per student
-5%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.9%
State 46.3%
Federal 12.8%
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 South River Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turner Ashby High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Broadway High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spotswood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Rockingham High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J. Frank Hillyard Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South River Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 880
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 821
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 726
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other 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 (~316 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South River Elementary's federal record.
- Compare South River Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Rockingham 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 South River Elementary
How many students attend South River Elementary?
South River Elementary has 316 students enrolled. It is a public school in Grottoes, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South River Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at South River Elementary is 15:1, which is 8% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South River Elementary?
43.4% of students at South River Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South River Elementary?
The largest demographic group at South River Elementary is White at 66.1% of enrollment, in Grottoes, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South River Elementary?
South River Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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).
Is South River Elementary a good school?
South River Elementary earns 47/100 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 Rockingham County Public Schools?
Besides South River Elementary, Rockingham County Public Schools also operates Turner Ashby High (998 students), Broadway High (932 students), and Spotswood High (880 students). See the Rockingham 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.