Enrollment
671
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Dayton, VA
Wilbur S. Pence Middle
Federal NCES profile for Wilbur S. Pence Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510339001511
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Wilbur S. Pence Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Virginia schools.
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 32.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 671
- students enrolled
Wilbur S. Pence Middle has class sizes smaller than 73% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Rockingham County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510339001511 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.9%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Wilbur S. Pence Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Wilbur S. Pence Middle
Wilbur S. Pence Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Dayton, Virginia, enrolling 671 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 671 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 336 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #107.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 268 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 155 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 671 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Rockingham County Public Schools also operates Turner Ashby High (998 students) and Broadway High (932 students) alongside Wilbur S. Pence 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 Wilbur S. Pence Middle compares
Wilbur S. Pence 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 | 12.4:1 | ▼ 11% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.9% | ▼ 43% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 671 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
671
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 27% in Virginia - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$13,933
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 268 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
86
in-school suspensions + 69 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.1 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 71.4%
Hispanic or Latino 19.4%
Two or More 4.9%
African American 3.1%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 71.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.9, Wilbur S. Pence Middle is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rockingham County Public Schools, which includes Wilbur S. Pence Middle.
$13,933
Per student
-5%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.9%
State 46.3%
Federal 12.8%
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 Wilbur S. Pence Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turner Ashby High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Broadway High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Spotswood High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Rockingham High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J. Frank Hillyard Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Wilbur S. Pence Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 998
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 880
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 821
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 726
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~671 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Wilbur S. Pence Middle's federal record.
- Compare Wilbur S. Pence Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Rockingham 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 Wilbur S. Pence Middle
How many students attend Wilbur S. Pence Middle?
Wilbur S. Pence Middle has 671 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dayton, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Wilbur S. Pence Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Wilbur S. Pence Middle is 12.4:1, which is 11% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 21% 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 Wilbur S. Pence Middle?
32.9% of students at Wilbur S. Pence Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wilbur S. Pence Middle?
The largest demographic group at Wilbur S. Pence Middle is White at 71.4% of enrollment, in Dayton, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Wilbur S. Pence Middle?
Wilbur S. Pence Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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).
Is Wilbur S. Pence Middle a good school?
Wilbur S. Pence Middle earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Rockingham County Public Schools?
Besides Wilbur S. Pence Middle, Rockingham County Public Schools also operates Turner Ashby High (998 students), Broadway High (932 students), and Spotswood High (880 students). See the Rockingham 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.