Enrollment
561
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 510408002050
Union Middle — Big Stone Gap, VA
Federal NCES profile for Union Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 46
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: Wise 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)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.9%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Middle 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
Union Middle reports 561 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 45.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 88.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the Virginia average and 72% 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 21.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wise County Public Schools spends $13,544 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 23.2% from local sources (property taxes), 57.1% from the state, and 19.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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 Union Middle 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 7% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.9% | ▲ 48% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 561 | top 51% | — | — |
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
88.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
13:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 33% in Virginia — lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
21.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,544
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 281 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
131
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 23.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 561 Top 51% in Virginia — larger than 49% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 45.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 88.9% +48% vs state
NCES ID 510408002050
Student demographics
White 93.0%
Two or More 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
African American 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 93.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 281:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.6%
In-school suspensions 131
Out-of-school suspensions 24
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wise County Public Schools, which includes Union Middle.
$13,544
Per student
-16%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 676
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 603
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 564
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 523
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
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 Union Middle
How many students attend Union Middle?
Union Middle has 561 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Big Stone Gap, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Middle is 13:1, which is 7% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 18% 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 Union Middle?
88.9% of students at Union Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Middle?
The largest demographic group at Union Middle is White at 93.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Big Stone Gap, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Middle?
Union Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (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.