Enrollment
281
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510117000418
Sunnyside Elementary — Mckenney, VA
Federal NCES profile for Sunnyside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 58/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 64
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: Dinwiddie 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.6%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunnyside 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
Sunnyside Elementary reports 281 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 86.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% above the Virginia average and 67% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 281 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dinwiddie County Public Schools spends $14,357 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.4% from local sources (property taxes), 55.3% from the state, and 11.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Sunnyside 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 16% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.6% | ▲ 45% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 281 | top 14% | — | — |
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
86.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 17% in Virginia — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
14.6%
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
$14,357
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 281 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 281 Top 14% in Virginia — larger than 86% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 86.6% +45% vs state
NCES ID 510117000418
Student demographics
White 58.7%
African American 22.1%
Two or More 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Largest group: White at 58.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 281:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.6%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dinwiddie County Public Schools, which includes Sunnyside Elementary.
$14,357
Per student
-11%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.4%
State 55.3%
Federal 11.3%
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
- 1,260
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Enrollment
- 919
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 446
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 352
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
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 Sunnyside Elementary
How many students attend Sunnyside Elementary?
Sunnyside Elementary has 281 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mckenney, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunnyside Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunnyside Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 16% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunnyside Elementary?
86.6% of students at Sunnyside Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunnyside Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sunnyside Elementary is White at 58.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Mckenney, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunnyside Elementary?
Sunnyside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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.