2024 Best Elementary Schools in Virginia

The Complete Guide to Elementary Schools in Virginia

The state of Virginia has over 1,700 different elementary schools (1,703) spread across numerous cities and metropolitan areas, some of the largest being Richmond, Virginia Beach and Alexandria. That’s a full 65% more than the typical state, although on a per capita basis, Virginia actually ranks #46 in the nation, averaging about 19% fewer elementary schools than most states. However, this doesn’t mean school quality drops necessarily, it can actually mean the opposite at times. The typical elementary school in Virginia has about 430 students on average, which puts it 12% larger than the national average. On a positive note though, despite the larger school size, there are typically about the same number of students per teacher as anywhere else in the nation (as evidenced by Virginia elementary schools having a 14:1 student to teacher ratio, the same as the national average).

As a whole, the average elementary school in the state earns a B grade, which is equal to the national average. Furthermore, of the 1,700+ elementary schools, just under half (46%) are rated above average. Still that leaves nearly 800 options (775) for the parent to evaluate - which can be an overwhelming endeavor. Narrowing that total down further, if you include only schools that rank in the top 25% of the nation, that total slims to 466. In other words, there’s still more than 400 school options in Virginia that rank in the nation’s top quartile.

Are public elementary schools in Virginia a good option?

Virginia has 1,066 total public elementary schools and of that total traditional public schools comprise 95% or about 1,016 of them. That’s a large number and for those with above average sights just over half (54%) score above the national average. It's worth noting that while typical public school size in Virginia is right on par with other states at 512 students per school; even still that’s 34% larger than the national average per school size.

What is the best public elementary school in Virginia?

Based in Virginia Beach comes Tallwood Elementary School, ranked as one of best public elementary schools in Virginia. With 580 students and a student to teacher ratio of 15:1 (7% higher than average), Tallwood proves that larger class sizes doesn’t always equate to lower school quality - quality can still remain high despite having larger student bodies at times. The ranking bests out nearly 4,000 other traditional public schools in Virginia (3,016). As mentioned previously though 54% of all such schools are rated above the national average.

Key statistics about charter elementary schools in Virginia

Some ask if charter schools are common or prevalent in Virginia – unfortunately not so much - there are only 3 total charter elementary schools located throughout the state placing it 43rd nationally for charter elementary schools per capita. Despite being so far below average though there still could be potential fits depending on your preferences – however it should be noted there data available regarding these three specific options since they are so small and rare at this time .

Everything you need to know about magnet elementary schools in Virginia

When it comes to magnet elementary schools in Virginia there are significantly more options than charter with 47 total – this places it 23rd nationally for magnet schools per capita – So although magnet options are prevalent they still fall 18% below the typical state per capita. The school quality is somewhat polarizing but strong overall with the median score being just a B– which is equal to or slightly better than national averages as a whole (B). About 62% of all magnet elementary schools have grades above those standards which means there could be around 29 different options for high achievers looking for alternative education styles and structures. The typical magnet school size is 629 students per school – 65% larger than national averages which can mean some classes may be larger but also means more resources and diversity amongst students - depending on your preference .

What is the best magnet elementary school in Texas?

Hailing from Arlington comes Arlington Traditional Elementary School – ranked as one of best magnet primary schools throughout all of Texas. The school is home to 615 students and is graded highest A+ available – it stands out largely due to its unique approach teaching within a traditional setting but with modern learning methodologies - hence its name ‘Traditional Elementary School’ ! The school is known for exceptional quality but should be noted that their student to teacher ratio is 19:1 which is actually about 36% above national averages – This can mean that class sizes may balloon a bit at times vs averages but Arlington Traditional Elementary has various teaching aides and methods to keep students highly engaged despite at times having larger class sizes.