Enrollment
570
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Charlottesville, VA
Walker Upper Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Walker Upper Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 510078000279
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walker Upper Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Virginia schools.
- #19 of 25
- public schools in Charlottesville · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 71.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Walker Upper Elementary has class sizes smaller than 86% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Walker Upper Elementary ranks #19 of 25 public schools in Charlottesville, VA.
School address
District: Charlottesville City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510078000279 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.8%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walker Upper Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Walker Upper Elementary
Walker Upper Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Charlottesville, Virginia, enrolling 570 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.2:1, Walker Upper Elementary is leaner than roughly 86% of Virginia schools and 19% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 71.8% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 570 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 325 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #42.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and African American (25%) (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 285 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Charlottesville City Public Schools spends $20,100 per pupil, 37% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Charlottesville's elementary schools, it stands alongside Meriwether Lewis Elementary (358 students): Walker Upper Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.2:1 vs 16.3:1).
Charlottesville City Public Schools also operates Charlottesville High (1,438 students) and Buford Middle (563 students) alongside Walker Upper 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 Walker Upper Elementary compares
Walker Upper 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 19% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.8% | ▲ 25% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 570 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
570
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 14% in Virginia - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,100
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 285 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 40.4%
African American 25.1%
Two or More 14.6%
Hispanic or Latino 13.0%
Asian 7.0%
Largest group: White at 40.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.1, Walker Upper Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charlottesville City Public Schools, which includes Walker Upper Elementary.
$20,100
Per student
+37%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.6%
State 24.2%
Federal 7.2%
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 Walker Upper Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlottesville High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Buford Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jackson-Via Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Johnson Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Venable Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walker Upper Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,438
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 327
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
Similar elementary schools in Charlottesville
1 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 (~570 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Walker Upper Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Walker Upper Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Charlottesville 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 Walker Upper Elementary
How many students attend Walker Upper Elementary?
Walker Upper Elementary has 570 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Charlottesville, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walker Upper Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Walker Upper Elementary is 11.2:1, which is 19% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 29% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Walker Upper Elementary?
71.8% of students at Walker Upper Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walker Upper Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Walker Upper Elementary is White at 40.4% of enrollment, in Charlottesville, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walker Upper Elementary?
Walker Upper Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Walker Upper Elementary rank among public schools in Charlottesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Walker Upper Elementary ranks #19 of 25 public schools in Charlottesville, 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 Charlottesville on the city page.
Is Walker Upper Elementary a good school?
Walker Upper Elementary earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of 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 Charlottesville City Public Schools?
Besides Walker Upper Elementary, Charlottesville City Public Schools also operates Charlottesville High (1,438 students), Buford Middle (563 students), and Jackson-Via Elementary (370 students). See the Charlottesville 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.