Enrollment
449
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 510369001608
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary — Staunton, VA
Federal NCES profile for Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 54
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: Staunton 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.2%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas C. Mcswain 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
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary reports 449 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.2% 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 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 449 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Staunton City Public Schools spends $17,136 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.8% from local sources (property taxes), 46.7% from the state, and 18.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Thomas C. Mcswain 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 1% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.2% | ▲ 67% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 449 | top 34% | — | — |
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
100.2%
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
13.8:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 47% in Virginia — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.3%
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
$17,136
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 449 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 449 Top 34% in Virginia — larger than 66% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 13.8:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.2% +67% vs state
NCES ID 510369001608
Student demographics
White 70.4%
African American 11.1%
Two or More 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: White at 70.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 449:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Staunton City Public Schools, which includes Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary.
$17,136
Per student
+6%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.8%
State 46.7%
Federal 18.4%
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
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 372
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 149
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar elementary schools in Staunton
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary
How many students attend Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary?
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary has 449 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Staunton, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary is 13.8:1, which is 1% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 13% 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 Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary?
100.2% of students at Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary is White at 70.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Staunton, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary?
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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.