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What clubs or activities at ESSEX HIGH are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
393
High
DISTRICT 364 · STATE 1,213
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ESSEX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510120000419
Essex High
833 High School Circle, Tappahannock, VA 22560 · (804) 443-4301 · Essex County
GRADES 09–12HIGH43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL393 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% of Virginia public high schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats 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
13.7:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.4:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
101%
395 students
DISTRICT 101% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 96 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 99 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 100 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 98 | 25% |
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · 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
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Essex County Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SOL 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
86.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +15.0pp since 2022
Math
83.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +19.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 86 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 83 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are up about 15 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 19 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 86.0% | 83.0% |
| 2023-24 | 87.0% | 85.0% |
| 2022-23 | 71.0% | 64.0% |
% 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
72.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
60.7%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+12.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 73% 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 Essex High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 72.9% | #176 of 311 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 83.0% | #162 of 316 ▼ 34 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 86.0% | #145 of 316 ▼ 31 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 393 | #275 of 325 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.7:1 | #140 of 309 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.1% | #139 of 309 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 101% | #12 of 319 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -28.4% | #6 of 178 |
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
393
-117 (-23%) vs 2020
-31% since 1990-91, when it was 572
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
was 10.8:1
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 | 393 | 28.8 | 13.7:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 410 | 29 | 14.1:1 | 99% (405) |
| 2022-23 | 514 | 37 | 13.9:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 510 | 47 | 10.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 549 | 43.5 | 12.6:1 | 61% (336) |
| 2015-16 | 456 | 37 | 12.3:1 | 56% (254) |
| 2010-11 | 497 | 28 | 17.8:1 | 67% (334) |
| 2000-01 | 505 | 43 | 11.7:1 | 32% (164) |
| 1990-91 | 572 | 41 | 13.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Essex High.
Since 2017-18: students down 28% (549 to 393); teachers down 34% (43.5 to 28.8).
About Essex High
Essex High is a small high school based in Tappahannock, Virginia. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend, and enrollment is 393 students. The typical figure for high schools in Virginia is about 1,213 students.
In Essex County Public Schools, 3 schools enroll a combined 1,092 students.
Black students account for 56% of enrollment at Essex High. Smaller groups are 26% White, 9% multiracial, and 7% Hispanic. For comparison, the population of Essex County is roughly 37% Black. The chance that two students picked at random at Essex High belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 60%.
Teachers at the school number 28.8 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 13.7:1. High schools in Virginia have a similar average ratio of 13.9:1.
Measured against Virginia public high schools, Essex High receives a B. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Essex High sits between the top and bottom 10% of Virginia schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 72.9% and a predicted 60.7%.
Across Essex County, median household income is about $56,520, roughly 17% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. The public schools of Essex County number 4 and enroll about 1,092.
James H. Cary Intermediate is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, 2 other public schools are within five miles. On proficiency, Essex High is ahead of the 61.6% nearby average, ranking 2nd of 8.
In the federal locale system, Essex High is coded Rural: Remote, for schools in rural territory far from an urban area.
The 2024-25 enrollment of 393 was 23% lower than in 2020-21, when it was 510. Students per teacher rose from 10.8 in 2020-21 to 13.7 in 2024-25.
The Essex High community page is open for posts about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Essex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
10,623
Census ACS
Median income
$56,520
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
4
1,092 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Essex County Public Schools
- Tappahannock ElementaryElementary · 400 students
- James H. Cary IntermediateMiddle · 299 students
Other schools in Tappahannock
- Tappahannock ElementaryElementary · 400 students
- James H. Cary IntermediateMiddle · 299 students
- Chesapeake Bay Governor's SchoolElementary
Other Essex High schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Essex High. Essex High is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- Essex High SchoolEssex Junction, VT · 1,224 students
- Essex High SchoolFairfield, NJ · 34 students
Nearby schools
- James H. Cary Intermediate0.4 mi · 299
- Tappahannock Elementary0.9 mi · 400
- Richmond County Elementary7.2 mi · 854
- Rappahannock High7.4 mi · 544
- Montross Middle11.2 mi · 334
- Westmoreland High12.2 mi · 488
Frequently asked questions
About Essex HighWhat is the total enrollment at Essex High?
Essex High enrolls approximately 393 students in grades 09-12.
Is Essex High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Essex High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Essex High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Essex High is approximately 13.7:1 (29 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Essex High?
At Essex High, the student body is approximately 26% White, 7% Hispanic, 56% Black, 1% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Who oversees Essex High?
Essex High is overseen by Essex County Public Schools in Essex County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.