Enrollment
567
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510036002525
Thomas Jefferson Elementary — Forest, VA
Federal NCES profile for Thomas Jefferson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
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 →
The verdict
Thomas Jefferson Elementary earns a D Resource Investment Index (47/100), with class sizes larger than 70% of Virginia schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 47/100
- 15:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 23.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 567
- students enrolled
School address
District: Bedford 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.5%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thomas Jefferson 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 Jefferson Elementary reports 567 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% below the Virginia average and 55% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 567 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bedford County Public Schools spends $14,207 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.1% from local sources (property taxes), 52.1% from the state, and 15.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Jefferson 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 7% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.5% | ▼ 61% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 567 | top 52% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
15 smaller classes than 49% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
567 larger than 69% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
23.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% below the Virginia average of 59.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 70% in Virginia — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
8.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$14,207
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 567 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 567 Top 52% in Virginia — larger than 48% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 15:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.5% -61% vs state
NCES ID 510036002525
Student demographics
White 71.3%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 7.9%
African American 6.7%
Asian 5.1%
Largest group: White at 71.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 567:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.1%
In-school suspensions 21
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bedford County Public Schools, which includes Thomas Jefferson Elementary.
$14,207
Per student
-12%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 52.1%
Federal 15.7%
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
- 1,282
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Similar other schools in Forest
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) 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 Jefferson Elementary
How many students attend Thomas Jefferson Elementary?
Thomas Jefferson Elementary has 567 students enrolled. It is a other school in Forest, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson Elementary is 15:1, which is 7% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Thomas Jefferson Elementary?
23.5% of students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thomas Jefferson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Thomas Jefferson Elementary is White at 71.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Forest, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thomas Jefferson Elementary?
Thomas Jefferson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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.