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McCleary Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
670th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools
Better than 40% of Virginia elementary schools
Summary

McCleary Elementary is a public elementary school in New Castle, Virginia, serving 209 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Craig County Public Schools district, which is ranked 67 out of 129 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating.

McCleary Elementary faces several challenges, including student performance that is generally below the state average on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests, with proficiency rates ranging from 44% to 83% across different grade levels and subjects. However, the school outperforms the state average in 3rd grade Mathematics and 3rd grade English Reading. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 15.7% to 28.8% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, McCleary Elementary has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 75.36% to 81.82%, indicating a high proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools in the Roanoke City Public Schools and Botetourt County Public Schools districts, McCleary Elementary's performance on SOL tests is generally lower, and the nearby schools have lower chronic absenteeism rates and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. However, McCleary Elementary's student-teacher ratio is lower than most of the nearby schools, indicating a potential focus on smaller class sizes. The school's statewide ranking and performance on SOL tests have been declining over the past few years, suggesting a need for targeted interventions and support to improve educational outcomes for all students.

229
Students ?
11.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$11,457
Per pupil spending ?
81.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 25345 Craigs Creek Road
       New Castle, VA  24127

(540) 864-5173

District: Craig County Public Schools


Students who attend McCleary Elementary usually attend:

High:    Craig County High
Racial breakdown:

White:
98.7%
Hispanic:
0.9%
African American:
0.4%
 See top rated Virginia elementary schools

 Compare McCleary Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Rebounding — 14th percentile in 2023 → 40th in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is rebounding — up to 40th (2025) from a 14th-percentile low (2023)
Small classes — about 11 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Science scores 22 pts below the Virginia average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school68%
District avg68%
Virginia avg71%
670th of 1,110
Virginia public elementary schools ?
Bottom 40%▼ down 18 pts since 2015
From top 43% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
67th of 129Craig County Public Schools among Virginia districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202544.5670 of 111039.6%★★☆☆☆
202435.5776 of 111430.3%★★☆☆☆
202317.9955 of 111414.3%★☆☆☆☆
202237.2760 of 110931.5%★★☆☆☆
202135.5755 of 110331.6%★★☆☆☆
201937.4791 of 110528.4%★☆☆☆☆
201826.8903 of 109717.7%★☆☆☆☆
201747.2662 of 109939.8%★★☆☆☆
201658.9472 of 109656.9%★★★☆☆
201559.9470 of 110057.3%★★★☆☆
201465.0362 of 111067.4%★★★☆☆
201367.5345 of 112069.2%★★★☆☆
201244.7707 of 111736.7%★★☆☆☆
201162.8398 of 111764.4%★★★☆☆
201059.2463 of 111358.4%★★★☆☆
200914.81045 of 10823.4%☆☆☆☆☆
200828.5917 of 108115.2%★☆☆☆☆
200730.7899 of 108317.0%★☆☆☆☆
200649.1628 of 107141.4%★★☆☆☆
200533.8826 of 106222.2%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202550.2588 of 109646.4%★★☆☆☆
202432.2811 of 109826.1%★☆☆☆☆
202314.0991 of 11009.9%☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202552.5523 of 104650.0%★★★☆☆
202456.7468 of 103654.8%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202542.3683 of 109337.5%★★☆☆☆
202444.2680 of 110138.2%★★☆☆☆
202329.1844 of 109322.8%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202524.4812 of 97316.5%★☆☆☆☆
202412.9917 of 9796.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20233.0975 of 9840.9%☆☆☆☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile+10 vs school
Female (2025)46th percentile+7 vs school
Male (2025)38th percentile~ school
White (2025)17th percentile-23 vs school
By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?
VA Studies76%+8 vs state
English Reading72%~ state avg
Mathematics68%-5 vs state
Science47%-22 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about McCleary Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 229 students attended McCleary Elementary.

Students who attend McCleary Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Craig County High

Students at McCleary Elementary are 99% White.

McCleary Elementary ranks 670th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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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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