Enrollment
592
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Alexandria, VA
Washington Mill Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Washington Mill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510126000582
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Washington Mill Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #25 of 42
- schools in Alexandria · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 66.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Washington Mill Elementary has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Washington Mill Elementary ranks #25 of 42 schools in Alexandria, VA.
School address
District: Fairfax County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510126000582 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
66.1%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Washington Mill Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Washington Mill Elementary
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Washington Mill Elementary is neither an extreme outlier in enrollment nor in student-teacher ratio among Virginia schools. Its profile therefore turns on the other dimensions rather than on scale alone: economic need, counselor coverage, program access, attendance, and district finance. This middle placement is useful because it prevents the campus from being mislabeled as unusually large, small, crowded, or teacher-dense when the federal comparison does not support that claim.
Need and resources require a component-level read
Washington Mill Elementary falls within the wide middle of the Virginia distribution on both free-meal eligibility and the Resource Investment Index. Neither measure supplies an honest headline by itself. The useful distinctions are in the components: classroom staffing, counselor availability, attendance, gifted-program access, and district spending. Those fields can pull in opposite directions even when the overall percentile looks ordinary.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Washington Mill Elementary's 28.2% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Washington Mill Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Alexandria, Virginia, enrolling 592 students.
At 14.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 66.1% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 592 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 263 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #131.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (40%) and African American (29%) (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 237 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Fairfax County Public Schools spends $17,977 per pupil, 23% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Alexandria's public schools, it stands alongside Hayfield Secondary (3,256 students): Washington Mill Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 17.3:1).
Fairfax County Public Schools also operates Lake Braddock Secondary (4,411 students) and Robinson Secondary (3,710 students) alongside Washington Mill 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 Washington Mill Elementary compares
Washington Mill 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 66.1% | ▲ 15% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 592 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
592
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
66.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 55% in Virginia - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.2%
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
$17,977
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 237 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 40.4%
African American 28.7%
White 19.6%
Asian 7.9%
Two or More 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 40.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.9, Washington Mill Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfax County Public Schools, which includes Washington Mill Elementary.
$17,977
Per student
+23%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.6%
State 23.3%
Federal 10.1%
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 Washington Mill Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Braddock Secondary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Robinson Secondary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hayfield Secondary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chantilly High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Springfield High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Washington Mill Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,411
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 3,710
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 3,256
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,937
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,799
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar other schools in Alexandria
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Hayfield Secondary
Standard public school
3,256 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Patrick Henry K-8 School
Standard public school
1,075 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Parklawn Elementary
Standard public school
963 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Mount Vernon Elementary
Standard public school
933 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Hybla Valley Elementary
Standard public school
878 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
James K. Polk Elementary
Standard public school
804 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~592 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Washington Mill Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Washington Mill Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Fairfax 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 Washington Mill Elementary
How many students attend Washington Mill Elementary?
Washington Mill Elementary has 592 students enrolled. It is a public school in Alexandria, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Washington Mill Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Washington Mill Elementary is 14.1:1, which is 1% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Washington Mill Elementary?
66.1% of students at Washington Mill Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Washington Mill Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Washington Mill Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 40.4% of enrollment, in Alexandria, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Washington Mill Elementary?
Washington Mill Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Washington Mill Elementary rank among schools in Alexandria?
By Resource Investment Index, Washington Mill Elementary ranks #25 of 42 schools in Alexandria, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Alexandria on the city page.
What other schools are in Fairfax County Public Schools?
Besides Washington Mill Elementary, Fairfax County Public Schools also operates Lake Braddock Secondary (4,411 students), Robinson Secondary (3,710 students), and Hayfield Secondary (3,256 students). See the Fairfax 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.