Enrollment
576
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 510267001134
William H. Ruffner Middle — Norfolk, VA
Federal NCES profile for William H. Ruffner Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 53
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: Norfolk City 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.2%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How William H. Ruffner Middle 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
William H. Ruffner Middle reports 576 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 35% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% above the Virginia average and 68% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 192 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Norfolk City Public Schools spends $15,833 per pupil district-wide, below the Virginia average of $16,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.5% from local sources (property taxes), 46.2% from the state, and 19.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 4 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 William H. Ruffner Middle 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 26% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.2% | ▲ 46% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 576 | top 53% | — | — |
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
87.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% above the Virginia average of 59.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 6% in Virginia — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.6%
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
$15,833
per pupil, district-wide
— below Virginia avg of $16,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 192 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
81
in-school suspensions + 192 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 47.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 576 Top 53% in Virginia — larger than 47% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 10.4:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.2% +46% vs state
NCES ID 510267001134
Student demographics
African American 92.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
Two or More 2.4%
White 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 92.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 192:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.6%
In-school suspensions 81
Out-of-school suspensions 192
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Norfolk City Public Schools, which includes William H. Ruffner Middle.
$15,833
Per student
-2%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 46.2%
Federal 19.3%
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
- 1,980
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,713
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,585
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,196
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 1,141
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
Similar middle schools in Norfolk
4 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Norview Middle
Standard public school
1,196 students 15:1 students per teacher
Blair Middle
Standard public school
1,141 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Azalea Gardens Middle
Standard public school
792 students 16:1 students per teacher
Northside Middle
Standard public school
732 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
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 William H. Ruffner Middle
How many students attend William H. Ruffner Middle?
William H. Ruffner Middle has 576 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Norfolk, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at William H. Ruffner Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at William H. Ruffner Middle is 10.4:1, which is 26% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 35% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at William H. Ruffner Middle?
87.2% of students at William H. Ruffner Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of William H. Ruffner Middle?
The largest demographic group at William H. Ruffner Middle is African American at 92.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Norfolk, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for William H. Ruffner Middle?
William H. Ruffner Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.