Middle school (grades 6-8) · Alexandria, VA

Whitman Middle

Federal NCES profile for Whitman Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510126000475
0/100100/10053/100
👥 S:T ratio
46
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
67
📋 Attendance
30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Whitman Middle earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.

#7 of 7
middle schools in Alexandria · Resource Index
53
Resource Index · Higher
13.6:1
students per teacher
50.9%
free-lunch eligible

Whitman Middle has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Whitman Middle ranks #7 of 7 middle schools in Alexandria, VA.

Enrollment

828

Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

61.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

13.6:1

vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg

-2% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

50.9%

vs 57.6% Virginia avg

-12% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Whitman Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians

At or below state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Whitman Middle

Whitman Middle is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Alexandria, Virginia, enrolling 828 students.

At 13.6:1, 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 50.9% lands close to the Virginia typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 828 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.

Against 181 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #55.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (52%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 65/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 166 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.9% 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.

The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Alexandria's middle schools, it stands alongside Glasgow Middle (1,702 students): Whitman Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.6:1 vs 13.8:1).

Fairfax County Public Schools also operates Lake Braddock Secondary (4,411 students) and Robinson Secondary (3,710 students) alongside Whitman Middle.

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 Whitman Middle compares

Whitman Middle on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Virginia Virginia avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 13.6:1 ▼ 2% 13.9:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 50.9% ▼ 12% 57.6% 51.7%
Enrollment 828 top 22% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
828
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
50.9%
free-lunch eligible - 12% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher - 2% below state mean
Top 47% in Virginia - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.9%
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 166 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
34
in-school suspensions + 99 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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

Hispanic or Latino 51.9%
African American 22.5%
White 15.9%
Asian 4.5%
Two or More 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 65.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 65.1, Whitman Middle 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 Whitman Middle.

$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 Whitman Middle 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 Whitman Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Fairfax County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Alexandria

6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.

Similar middle 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Whitman Middle's federal record.

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 Whitman Middle

How many students attend Whitman Middle?

Whitman Middle has 828 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Alexandria, VA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Whitman Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Whitman Middle is 13.6:1, which is 2% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 13% 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 Whitman Middle?

50.9% of students at Whitman Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whitman Middle?

The largest demographic group at Whitman Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 51.9% of enrollment, in Alexandria, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Whitman Middle?

Whitman Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Whitman Middle rank among middle schools in Alexandria?

By Resource Investment Index, Whitman Middle ranks #7 of 7 middle 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 middle schools in Alexandria on the city page.

Is Whitman Middle a good school?

Whitman Middle earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median. 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 Fairfax County Public Schools?

Besides Whitman Middle, 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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.