Enrollment
449
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Staunton, VA
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 510369001608
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Staunton · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 449
- students enrolled
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Staunton, VA.
School address
District: Staunton City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510369001608 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Staunton, Virginia, enrolling 449 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 449 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.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (11%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 449 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Staunton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Bessie Weller Elementary (373 students): Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15:1 vs 12.4:1).
Staunton City Public Schools also operates Staunton High (766 students) and Shelburne Middle (583 students) alongside Thomas C. Mcswain 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 Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary compares
Thomas C. Mcswain 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 |
| Enrollment | 449 | top 66% | - | - |
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.
449
Bigger than 55% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
18.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,219
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 47.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.6, Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Staunton City Public Schools, which includes Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary.
$15,219
Per student
+4%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staunton High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Shelburne Middle | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bessie Weller Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Arthur R. Ware Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Staunton City School Preschool Programs | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 766
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 372
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 149
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Staunton
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~449 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Staunton City 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 Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary
How many students attend Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary?
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary has 449 students enrolled. It is an 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 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 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% of enrollment, in Staunton, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary?
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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).
How does Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary rank among elementary schools in Staunton?
By Resource Investment Index, Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Staunton, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Staunton on the city page.
Is Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary a good school?
Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary earns 44/100 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 Staunton City Public Schools?
Besides Thomas C. Mcswain Elementary, Staunton City Public Schools also operates Staunton High (766 students), Shelburne Middle (583 students), and Bessie Weller Elementary (373 students). See the Staunton City 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.