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Nelson County High

Summary:

Nelson County High is a public high school located in Lovingston, Virginia, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of 517. The school is part of the Nelson County Public Schools district, which is ranked 47 out of 130 school districts in Virginia and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nelson County High stands out for its consistently strong academic performance, with high proficiency rates on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests across various subjects and grade levels. The school's statewide ranking has improved significantly, from 219 out of 327 Virginia high schools in 2020-2021 to 98 out of 329 in 2023-2024, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Additionally, the school has shown impressive performance across different student subgroups, including African American, male, disabled, and low socioeconomic status students, suggesting a focus on equity and inclusive practices. While the student population is predominantly white, the school has a relatively diverse student body, with significant percentages of African American and Hispanic students.

Compared to the nearby Amherst County High, Nelson County High consistently outperforms its counterpart on SOL tests and has a significantly higher statewide ranking. Nelson County High also has a more diverse student population and a higher per-student spending, indicating more resources available for the school. These factors contribute to Nelson County High's reputation as a high-performing and equitable educational institution in the region.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 6919 Thomas Nelson Hwy
       Lovingston, VA  22949

(434) 263-8317

District: Nelson County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
98th of 329 Virginia High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,924 Help


Feeder schools for Nelson County High:

Elementary:    Rockfish River Elementary
    Tye River Elementary
Middle:    Nelson Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  10.6 Help
Number of students:  485

Racial breakdown:

White:
72.0%
African American:
12.6%
Hispanic:
10.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  82.7% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Nelson County High ranks better than 70.2% of high schools in Virginia. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 68.01. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Nelson County High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (72%), African American (12.6%), Hispanic (10.3%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 82.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Nelson County High is 10.6. (See more...)
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Compare Nelson County High employs 45.4 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Nelson County High is $11,924.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Nelson County High:

SchoolDigger ranks Nelson County High 98th of 329 Virginia public high schools. (See Nelson County High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
African American students:
White students:


Nelson County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Nelson County Public Schools 47th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Nelson County High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Nelson County High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 37.74 236th 308 23.4%
2006 32.03 255th 314 18.8%
2007 37.00 238th 313 24.0%
2008 55.59 122nd 316 61.4%
2009 51.20 142nd 313 54.6%
2010 58.69 101st 317 68.1%
2011 67.63 59th 320 81.6%
2012 59.63 93rd 321 71.0%
2013 61.79 77th 321 76.0%
2014 49.45 151st 322 53.1%
2015 41.85 197th 322 38.8%
2016 48.58 165th 321 48.6%
2017 51.34 148th 324 54.3%
2018 48.93 165th 326 49.4%
2019 49.83 162nd 327 50.5%
2021 35.88 219th 327 33.0%
2022 44.62 191st 325 41.2%
2023 69.00 93rd 326 71.5%
2024 68.01 98th 329 70.2%
See the entire list of Virginia High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Nelson County High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 71.62 60th 320 81.3%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Nelson County High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 67.04 95th 320 70.3%
2024 54.69 172nd 322 46.6%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Nelson County High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 75.77 30th 249 88.0%
2024 77.13 36th 253 85.8%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Nelson County High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 68.02 97th 321 69.8%
2024 80.79 25th 322 92.2%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Nelson County High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 82.14 21st 240 91.3%
2024 68.34 62nd 249 75.1%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Nelson County High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 54.05 166th 315 47.3%
2024 58.53 135th 314 57.0%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Nelson County High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Virginia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Nelson County High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 611 611
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 645 645
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 581 581
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 584 584
1993 465 143 1 9 0 n/a n/a 0 618
1994 485 144 2 14 0 n/a n/a 0 645
1995 491 173 3 16 1 n/a n/a 0 684
1996 491 173 3 16 1 n/a n/a 0 684
1997 506 165 3 18 1 n/a n/a 0 693
1998 508 152 4 10 0 n/a n/a 0 674
1999 532 147 6 9 0 n/a n/a 0 694
2000 566 132 4 7 0 n/a n/a -4 705
2001 578 135 1 7 1 n/a n/a 0 722
2002 517 115 0 3 1 n/a n/a 0 636
2003 517 115 0 3 1 n/a n/a 0 636
2004 508 124 2 3 0 n/a n/a 0 637
2005 533 111 4 6 0 n/a n/a 0 654
2006 511 107 1 9 1 n/a n/a 8 637
2007 503 120 1 15 0 n/a n/a 6 645
2008 457 108 2 19 1 n/a n/a 9 596
2009 426 105 2 23 1 n/a n/a 11 568
2010 440 104 4 21 2 n/a n/a 10 581
2011 421 101 3 26 1 0 28 0 580
2012 441 94 3 28 0 0 31 0 597
2013 440 89 4 37 1 0 26 0 597
2014 456 91 1 38 0 0 25 0 611
2015 444 93 5 44 0 0 23 0 609
2016 481 90 5 45 0 0 22 0 643
2017 471 86 5 41 0 0 22 0 625
2018 485 80 5 38 2 0 26 0 636
2019 474 81 3 46 1 0 27 0 632
2020 417 76 1 44 3 0 33 0 574
2021 405 78 0 47 2 0 38 0 570
2022 395 76 0 40 2 0 32 0 545
2023 364 70 1 49 3 0 30 0 517
2024 349 61 0 50 2 0 23 0 485

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Nelson County High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 611 45.5 13.4 n/a
1990 645 46.4 13.9 n/a
1991 581 46.0 12.6 n/a
1992 584 46.9 12.4 n/a
1993 618 48.4 12.8 n/a
1994 645 62.5 n/a 17.8
1995 684 n/a 0.0 17.7
1996 684 n/a 0.0 17.7
1997 693 n/a 0.0 17.5
1998 674 n/a 0.0 19.4
1999 694 60.0 11.6 25.1
2000 705 n/a 0.0 22.1
2001 722 56.5 12.8 24
2002 636 59.8 10.6 25
2003 636 59.8 10.6 25
2004 637 52.8 12.1 32
2005 654 52.7 12.4 32.1
2006 637 52.0 12.3 34.3
2007 645 50.4 12.8 33.8
2008 596 45.2 13.2 51.4
2009 568 42.6 13.3 40
2010 581 40.1 14.4 43.3
2011 580 38.4 15.0 40.3
2012 597 41.5 14.3 43
2013 597 44.0 13.5 41.5
2014 611 46.9 13.0 42.1
2015 609 44.0 13.8 46.3
2016 643 47.0 13.6 44.2
2017 625 48.0 13.0 46.4
2018 636 48.1 13.2 50.5
2019 632 48.9 12.9 46
2020 574 47.9 11.9 46.3
2021 570 47.6 11.9 n/a
2022 545 48.2 11.3 48.8
2023 517 46.2 11.1 70
2024 485 45.4 10.6 82.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Nelson County High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 611 45.5 13.4 n/a
1990 645 46.4 13.9 n/a
1991 581 46.0 12.6 n/a
1992 584 46.9 12.4 n/a
1993 618 48.4 12.8 n/a
1994 645 62.5 n/a 17.8
1995 684 n/a 0.0 17.7
1996 684 n/a 0.0 17.7
1997 693 n/a 0.0 17.5
1998 674 n/a 0.0 19.4
1999 694 60.0 11.6 25.1
2000 705 n/a 0.0 22.1
2001 722 56.5 12.8 24
2002 636 59.8 10.6 25
2003 636 59.8 10.6 25
2004 637 52.8 12.1 32
2005 654 52.7 12.4 32.1
2006 637 52.0 12.3 34.3
2007 645 50.4 12.8 33.8
2008 596 45.2 13.2 51.4
2009 568 42.6 13.3 40
2010 581 40.1 14.4 43.3
2011 580 38.4 15.0 40.3
2012 597 41.5 14.3 43
2013 597 44.0 13.5 41.5
2014 611 46.9 13.0 42.1
2015 609 44.0 13.8 46.3
2016 643 47.0 13.6 44.2
2017 625 48.0 13.0 46.4
2018 636 48.1 13.2 50.5
2019 632 48.9 12.9 46
2020 574 47.9 11.9 46.3
2021 570 47.6 11.9 n/a
2022 545 48.2 11.3 48.8
2023 517 46.2 11.1 70
2024 485 45.4 10.6 82.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Nelson County High

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $341 (3.1%) $10,665 (96.9%) $11,006
2020 $394 (3.6%) $10,665 (96.4%) $11,059
2021 $406 (3.4%) $11,518 (96.6%) $11,924

Data source: Virginia Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Nelson County High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Ranks 162nd of 327 High schoolsRanks 93rd of 326 High schools
 21%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
End of Course Writing (Nelson County High)8281
 1%
   End of Course Writing (Nelson County Public Schools)8280
 2%
   End of Course Writing (Virginia)8174
 7%
End of Course Geometry (Nelson County High)9282
 10%
   End of Course Geometry (Nelson County Public Schools)9287
 5%
   End of Course Geometry (Virginia)8380
 3%
End of Course Algebra I (Nelson County High)7477
 3%
   End of Course Algebra I (Nelson County Public Schools)8479
 5%
   End of Course Algebra I (Virginia)8680
 6%
End of Course Algebra II (Nelson County High)8888
   End of Course Algebra II (Nelson County Public Schools)8888
   End of Course Algebra II (Virginia)9186
 5%
End of Course Biology (Nelson County High)8871
 17%
   End of Course Biology (Nelson County Public Schools)8869
 19%
   End of Course Biology (Virginia)8370
 13%
End of Course English Reading (Nelson County High)9079
 11%
   End of Course English Reading (Nelson County Public Schools)9079
 11%
   End of Course English Reading (Virginia)8685
 1%
End of Course VA and US History (Nelson County High)8511
 74%
   End of Course VA and US History (Virginia)6838
 30%
End of Course World History I (Nelson County High)9263
 29%
   End of Course World History I (Nelson County Public Schools)9161
 30%
   End of Course World History I (Virginia)8066
 14%
End of Course World History II (Nelson County High)8640
 46%
   End of Course World History II (Virginia)8148
 33%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students632517
 18.2%
African American8170
 13.6%
American Indian13
 200%
Asian31
 66.7%
Hispanic4649
 6.5%
Pacific Islander00
White474364
 23.2%
Two or More Races2730
 11.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients46%70%
 24%

Schools Near Nelson County High








Frequently Asked Questions about Nelson County High

In the 2023-24 school year, 485 students attended Nelson County High.

Nelson County High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Rockfish River Elementary
Elementary : Tye River Elementary
Middle : Nelson Middle

Nelson County High ranks 98th of 329 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Nelson County High are 72% White, 13% African American, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.


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Schools in Lovingston, VA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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