Enrollment
564
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Big Stone Gap, VA
Union High
Federal NCES profile for Union High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510408001792
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Big Stone Gap · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 85.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Union High has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Union High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Big Stone Gap, VA.
School address
District: Wise County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510408001792 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.5%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union High
Union High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, enrolling 564 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 564 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 452 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #133.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 17/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Wise County Public Schools spends $11,634 per pupil, 21% below the Virginia average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 8 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Wise County Public Schools also operates Union Primary (809 students) and Central High (676 students) alongside Union High.
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 Union High compares
Union High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 6% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.5% | ▲ 48% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 564 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
564
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 66% in Virginia - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,634
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
73
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
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 90.8%
African American 4.3%
Two or More 2.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Largest group: White at 90.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.2, Union High is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wise County Public Schools, which includes Union High.
$11,634
Per student
-21%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.2%
State 57.1%
Federal 19.7%
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.
How Union High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Primary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Central High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wise Primary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Union Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| J.W. Adams Combined | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Union High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 676
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 603
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 561
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar high 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 (~564 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union High's federal record.
- Compare Union High against another school. Compare schools
- Wise 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 Union High
How many students attend Union High?
Union High has 564 students enrolled. It is a high school in Big Stone Gap, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union High?
The student-teacher ratio at Union High is 14.8:1, which is 6% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Union High?
85.5% of students at Union High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union High?
The largest demographic group at Union High is White at 90.8% of enrollment, in Big Stone Gap, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union High?
Union High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Union High rank among public schools in Big Stone Gap?
By Resource Investment Index, Union High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Big Stone Gap, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Big Stone Gap on the city page.
Is Union High a good school?
Union High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools. 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 Wise County Public Schools?
Besides Union High, Wise County Public Schools also operates Union Primary (809 students), Central High (676 students), and Wise Primary (603 students). See the Wise 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.