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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BEDFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510036000145

Big Island Elementary

1114 Schooldays Rd, Big Island, VA 24526 · (434) 299-5863 · Bedford County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL182 STUDENTS
Enrollment
182
Elementary
DISTRICT 318 · STATE 499
Student : Teacher
14.9:1
12 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.8:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
82%
150 students
DISTRICT 66% · STATE 66%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K158%
Kindergarten2413%
Grade 12514%
Grade 23318%
Grade 32715%
Grade 42514%
Grade 53318%
Student demographics
White
15384%
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 43% · US 43%
Hispanic
95%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 20% · US 30%
Black
74%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 21% · US 15%
Two+
127%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 7% · US 5%
Native American
11%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
9150%
Female
9150%

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Test scores

SOL 2024-25 . % Passing
English Language Arts
71.0%
VA avg 74.2% . -13.0pp since 2022
Math
68.0%
VA avg 72.7% . -16.0pp since 2022

What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 71 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 68 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are down about 13 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 16 points.

SOL results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2571.0%68.0%
2023-2478.0%72.0%
2022-2384.0%84.0%
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
74.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
65.7%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.6pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 74% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 66% typical for Virginia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Virginia's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Where Big Island Elementary ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn VirginiaIn Bedford County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
74.3%#455 of 1,101#8 of 12
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
68.0%#718 of 1,111#9 of 12
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
71.0%#566 of 1,111#8 of 12
Enrollment
ranked largest first
182#1,120 of 1,176#12 of 13
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list.

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
182
+45 (+33%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
14.9:1
was 13.3:1
% White
84%
was 86%
% Hispanic
5%
was 0%
% Black
4%
was 5%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree or reduced lunch
2024-2518212.214.9:182% (150)
2023-2414811.213.2:182% (121)
2022-231499.316.1:169% (103)
2017-1813710.313.3:147% (65)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Big Island Elementary.

About Big Island Elementary

Big Island Elementary is a very small elementary school in Big Island, Virginia. The school counted 182 students in 2024-25, covering pre-K through 5. That puts enrollment 64% below the 499-student average for elementary schools in Virginia.

Bedford County Public Schools is made up of 19 schools with 8,930 students in all.

White students account for 84% of the school's enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 7% multiracial, 5% Hispanic, and 4% Black. Among Bedford County residents, the White share is about 86%.

Staffing at Big Island Elementary comes to 12.2 full-time-equivalent teachers, or 14.9:1. Elementary schools in Virginia have an average ratio of 13.8:1. On the income side, 82% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is higher than the 59% average for public schools in Bedford County.

A school with Big Island Elementary's lunch-eligibility share in Virginia is predicted to score 65.7%. Big Island Elementary scores 74.3%, 8.6 points above that line.

Five-year Census Bureau estimates for Bedford County show that the median household earns about $78,937 a year, about 34% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 5%. Across Bedford County, 22 public schools serve about 8,930 students.

About 7.7 miles separate Big Island Elementary from the closest public school, Natural Bridge Elementary. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Big Island Elementary ranks 4th of 9 on average proficiency.

In the federal locale system, Big Island Elementary is coded Rural: Distant, for schools in rural territory some distance from an urban area.

Since 2017-18, enrollment has grown 33%, from 137 to 182. The student mix also changed: the Hispanic share increased from 0% to 5%. From 2017-18 to 2024-25, the ratio increased from 13.3:1 to 14.9:1.

The allk12 page for Big Island Elementary lets the school community talk about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.

Bedford County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
80,894
Census ACS
Median income
$78,937
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
22
8,930 students

Quick facts

School name
Big Island Elementary
District
Bedford County Public Schools
Address
1114 Schooldays Rd, Big Island, VA 24526
Phone
(434) 299-5863
County
Bedford County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
182
Teachers (FTE)
12
Student–teacher ratio
14.9:1
Free/Reduced lunch
150 (82%)
Locale
42-Rural: Distant
NCES ID
510036000145
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Bedford County Public Schools
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Big Island Elementary
How many students attend Big Island Elementary?
Big Island Elementary enrolls approximately 182 students in grades PK-05.
Is Big Island Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Big Island Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Big Island Elementary have?
Big Island Elementary employs 12 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Big Island Elementary?
Student demographics at Big Island Elementary are roughly 84% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Black, 7% Two or more.
What district is Big Island Elementary in?
Big Island Elementary is part of Bedford County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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