Enrollment
3,044
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 510027000112
Washington-Liberty High — Arlington, VA
Federal NCES profile for Washington-Liberty High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 66/100.
👥 Class size 36
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 68
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: Arlington 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)
171.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.2%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Washington-Liberty High 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
Washington-Liberty High reports 3,044 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 171.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% below the Virginia average and 59% below the national baseline. The school offers 24 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 222 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Arlington County Public Schools spends $27,865 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 79.4% from local sources (property taxes), 12.4% from the state, and 8.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 66/100 (B-), calculated from 5 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 Washington-Liberty High 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 14% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.2% | ▼ 65% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 3,044 | top 100% | — | — |
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
21.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 82% in Virginia — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$27,865
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $16,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors13.7 FTE
Per 222 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
68
in-school suspensions + 63 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 3,044 Top 100% in Virginia — larger than 0% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 171.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.2% -65% vs state
NCES ID 510027000112
Student demographics
White 39.5%
Hispanic or Latino 33.4%
African American 9.5%
Asian 8.9%
Two or More 8.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 39.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 24
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 13.7
Students per counselor 222:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.0%
In-school suspensions 68
Out-of-school suspensions 63
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arlington County Public Schools, which includes Washington-Liberty High.
$27,865
Per student
+72%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 79.4%
State 12.4%
Federal 8.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,646
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,593
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 1,120
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,053
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Similar high schools in Arlington
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Washington-Liberty High
How many students attend Washington-Liberty High?
Washington-Liberty High has 3,044 students enrolled. It is a high school in Arlington, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Washington-Liberty High?
The student-teacher ratio at Washington-Liberty High is 15.9:1, which is 14% higher than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Washington-Liberty High?
21.2% of students at Washington-Liberty High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Washington-Liberty High?
The largest demographic group at Washington-Liberty High is White at 39.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Arlington, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Washington-Liberty High?
Washington-Liberty High has a Resource Investment Index of 66/100 (B-) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.