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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Cluster Springs Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
572
Elementary
DISTRICT 296 · STATE 499
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HALIFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510177002745
Cluster Springs Elementary
7091 Huell Matthews Hwy., Alton, VA 24520 · (434) 517-2600 · Halifax County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL572 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 49% of Virginia public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.9:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.4:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
101%
576 students
DISTRICT 100% · STATE 66%
Community
1
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 79 | 14% |
| Kindergarten | 82 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 79 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 82 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 89 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 89 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 72 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (82) is 14% larger than its 5th grade class (72).
Student demographics
55%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Halifax County Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SOL 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
65.0%
VA avg 74.2% . -5.0pp since 2022
Math
72.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +5.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 72 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 5 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 5 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 65.0% | 72.0% |
| 2023-24 | 69.0% | 68.0% |
| 2022-23 | 70.0% | 67.0% |
% 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
66.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
60.7%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 67% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 61% 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 Cluster Springs Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Halifax County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 66.6% | #685 of 1,101 | #4 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 72.0% | #625 of 1,111 ▲ 34 | #4 of 7 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.0% | #736 of 1,111 ▼ 106 | #6 of 7 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 572 | #420 of 1,176 | #2 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.9:1 | #758 of 1,105 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 54.8% | #681 of 1,106 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 101% | #73 of 1,157 | #2 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +6.9% | #168 of 324 | N/A |
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. 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
572
+34 (+6%) vs 2020
-4% since 2010-11, when it was 596
Student : Teacher
14.9:1
was 14.9:1
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 | 572 | 38.3 | 14.9:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 533 | 36.3 | 14.7:1 | 99% (529) |
| 2022-23 | 547 | 37.5 | 14.6:1 | 95% (520) |
| 2020-21 | 538 | 36 | 14.9:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 535 | 36.4 | 14.7:1 | 56% (300) |
| 2015-16 | 570 | 39 | 14.6:1 | 51% (293) |
| 2010-11 | 596 | 33 | 18.1:1 | 54% (320) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cluster Springs Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 7% (535 to 572); teachers up 5% (36.4 to 38.3).
About Cluster Springs Elementary
Cluster Springs Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in Alton, Virginia, under Halifax County Public Schools. The student body numbers 572 students, from pre-K through 5.
The district for Cluster Springs Elementary is Halifax County Public Schools, with 10 schools and 4,496 students.
A majority of students at Cluster Springs Elementary, 63%, are White. Other reported shares: 22% Black, 8% Hispanic, and 6% multiracial. That is close to the 60% White share among all Halifax County residents. Cluster Springs Elementary has a diversity index of 55%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Federal data list 38.3 full-time-equivalent teachers at Cluster Springs Elementary in 2024-25, for a ratio of 14.9:1. The average ratio among elementary schools in Virginia is 13.8:1, lower than at this school.
Cluster Springs Elementary is graded B- by allk12, scoring above 49% of Virginia public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Cluster Springs Elementary would score about 60.7%. It scores 66.6%, 5.9 points above that figure.
In the county around the school, Halifax County, median household income is about $52,013, about 20% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 12%. A total of 11 public schools operate in Halifax County, serving about 4,496 students.
South Boston/Halifax Early Learning Center is the public school closest to Cluster Springs Elementary, about 7.1 miles away. Inside a ten-mile radius, there are 5 other public schools. Compared with its nearest neighbors, Cluster Springs Elementary ranks 2nd of 7 on average proficiency.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Distant.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 6%, from 538 to 572.
If you have questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Cluster Springs Elementary, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Halifax County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
33,639
Census ACS
Median income
$52,013
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
4,496 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Halifax County Public Schools
- Halifax County HighHigh · 1,282 students
- Halifax County MiddleMiddle · 847 students
- South Boston ElementaryElementary · 683 students
- Sinai ElementaryElementary · 243 students
- Clays Mill ElementaryElementary · 236 students
- Scottsburg ElementaryElementary · 187 students
Nearby schools
- South Boston/Halifax Early Learning Center7.1 mi · 116
- Bethel Hill Charter7.3 mi · 344
- South Boston Elementary7.7 mi · 683
- Halifax County Middle8.0 mi · 847
- Halifax County High8.4 mi · 1,282
- Sinai Elementary10.2 mi · 243
Frequently asked questions
About Cluster Springs ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Cluster Springs Elementary?
Cluster Springs Elementary enrolls approximately 572 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Cluster Springs Elementary serve?
Cluster Springs Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Cluster Springs Elementary?
Approximately 14.9:1 students per teacher at Cluster Springs Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Cluster Springs Elementary?
Student demographics at Cluster Springs Elementary are roughly 63% White, 8% Hispanic, 22% Black, 0% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Cluster Springs Elementary?
Cluster Springs Elementary is overseen by Halifax County Public Schools in Halifax County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.