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What's the most underrated thing about Charles J. Colgan Sr. High that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,956
High
DISTRICT 2,259 · STATE 1,213
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510313003025
Charles J. Colgan Sr. High
13833 Dumfries Rd, Manassas, VA 20112 · (571) 374-6550 · Prince William County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL2,956 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 53% of Virginia public high schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Virginia public high schools
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
170 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
29%
847 students
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 66%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 18 | 1% |
| Grade 9 | 765 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 763 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 703 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 707 | 24% |
Student demographics
74%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 71% · US 70%
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
Test scores
SOL 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
92.0%
VA avg 74.2% . -3.0pp since 2022
Math
92.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +12.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 92 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 92 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 3 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 12 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 92.0% | 92.0% |
| 2023-24 | 91.0% | 90.0% |
| 2022-23 | 95.0% | 80.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
79.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
80.3%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 80% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 80% 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 →
Schools most like Charles J. Colgan Sr. High
Charles J. Colgan Sr. High's state test result (79.6% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles J. Colgan Sr. High this school | 2,956 | 28.7% | 79.6% |
| Hayfield Secondary Alexandria | 3,256 | 33.3% | 66.0% |
| Albemarle High Charlottesville | 1,964 | 31.0% | 70.7% |
| South Lakes High Reston | 2,434 | 34.3% | 76.6% |
| Patriot High Nokesville | 2,020 | 24.4% | 81.6% |
| Colonial Forge High Stafford | 2,122 | 30.8% | 79.8% |
Matched among Virginia high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Charles J. Colgan Sr. High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Prince William County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 79.6% | #96 of 311 | #4 of 13 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 92.0% | #55 of 316 ▲ 14 | #2 of 13 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 92.0% | #63 of 316 ▼ 6 | #3 of 13 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,956 | #6 of 325 | #1 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.4:1 | #287 of 309 | #12 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 73.7% | #15 of 309 | #2 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 28.7% | #263 of 319 | #9 of 13 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +29.5% | #6 of 131 | #1 of 6 |
Ranked against other public high 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. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,956
+6 (+0%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
was 18.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,956 | 170.2 | 17.4:1 | 29% (847) |
| 2023-24 | 2,945 | 175.1 | 16.8:1 | 25% (746) |
| 2022-23 | 2,907 | 160 | 18.2:1 | 22% (630) |
| 2020-21 | 2,950 | 159 | 18.6:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 2,283 | 125.6 | 18.2:1 | 18% (420) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Charles J. Colgan Sr. High.
Since 2017-18: students up 29% (2,283 to 2,956); teachers up 35% (125.6 to 170.2).
About Charles J. Colgan Sr. High
The public high school Charles J. Colgan Sr. High is located in Manassas, Virginia. It covers grades 9 through 12, with a total enrollment of 2,956 students. Statewide, high schools in Virginia average about 1,213 students each.
Prince William County Public Schools (95 schools, 90,242 students) runs Charles J. Colgan Sr. High.
The most common group at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High is White students, at 40%. Other groups include 22% Hispanic, 19% Black, 11% Asian, and 8% multiracial. County-wide, about 43% of residents are White. Pick two students at random and there is a 74% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Teachers at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High total 170.2 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 17.4:1. That is 3.5 students per teacher above the 13.9:1 average for high schools in Virginia. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 29%. The average for public schools in Prince William County is 55%.
Charles J. Colgan Sr. High is graded B- by allk12, scoring above 53% of Virginia public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
On BeatsExpectations, Charles J. Colgan Sr. High is within a point of its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Virginia schools.
In the county around the school, Prince William County, the median household income is $131,402, 45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of people live in poverty. There are 102 public schools in Prince William County, enrolling about 89,591 students in all.
Nearest public school: Louise A. Benton Middle, about 0.5 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Charles J. Colgan Sr. High's average proficiency of 79.6% compares with 79.3% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Locale: Rural: Fringe. In NCES terms, the school is in rural territory close to an urban area.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 2,956, starting from 2,950. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (17.4:1) than in 2020-21 (18.6:1).
Discussions about Charles J. Colgan Sr. High may include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Prince William County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
488,880
Census ACS
Median income
$131,402
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
45%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
102
89,591 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Prince William County Public Schools
- Woodbridge HighHigh · 2,898 students
- Osbourn Park HighHigh · 2,661 students
- Gainesville HighHigh · 2,648 students
- Gar-Field HighHigh · 2,524 students
- Forest Park HighHigh · 2,343 students
- Freedom HighHigh · 2,303 students
Other schools in Manassas
- Osbourn Park HighHigh · 2,661 students
- Osbourn HighHigh · 2,301 students
- Unity Reed HighHigh · 2,042 students
- Parkside MiddleMiddle · 1,352 students
- Louise A. Benton MiddleMiddle · 1,339 students
- Herbert J. Saunders MiddleMiddle · 1,198 students
Nearby schools
- Louise A. Benton Middle0.5 mi · 1,339
- Coles Elementary0.6 mi · 431
- Thurgood Marshall Elementary2.1 mi · 642
- Herbert J. Saunders Middle2.3 mi · 1,198
- Rosa Parks Elementary2.9 mi · 547
- C.D. Hylton High2.9 mi · 1,859
Frequently asked questions
About Charles J. Colgan Sr. HighHow many students attend Charles J. Colgan Sr. High?
Charles J. Colgan Sr. High enrolls approximately 2,956 students in grades 09-12.
Is Charles J. Colgan Sr. High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Charles J. Colgan Sr. High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High is approximately 17.4:1 (170 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High?
Student demographics at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High are roughly 40% White, 22% Hispanic, 19% Black, 11% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is Charles J. Colgan Sr. High in?
Charles J. Colgan Sr. High is part of Prince William County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.