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S.P. Morton Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

1086^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

S.P. Morton Elementary is a public elementary school in Franklin, Virginia, serving 485 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Franklin City Public Schools district, which is ranked 127 out of 129 districts in the state.

S.P. Morton Elementary has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Virginia, with proficiency rates on state assessments significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, the school's 3rd-grade math proficiency rate is just 17.5%, compared to the state average of 72.89%. The school also struggles with extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.7% to 33.7% in recent years. Additionally, over 100% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Interestingly, nearby schools such as Elephant's Fork Elementary, Windsor Elementary, and Carrsville Elementary significantly outperform S.P. Morton Elementary on academic measures, with proficiency rates often 30-50 percentage points higher. These nearby schools also have much lower chronic absenteeism rates and serve a lower percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite the school's poor performance, its per-student spending and student-teacher ratio are comparable to or higher than those of the higher-performing nearby schools, suggesting that the challenges facing S.P. Morton Elementary may be more complex than just a lack of resources.

620

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,602

Per pupil spending ?

101.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 Morton Street
Franklin, VA 23851

(757) 562-5458

District: Franklin City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

74.7%

White:

13.5%

Hispanic:

5.5%

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Compare S.P. Morton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 14th percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (31% vs 70% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (25% vs 15% Virginia)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg31%

Virginia avg70%

1,086^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

127^th of 129Franklin City 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	3.4	1086 of 1110	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.8	1093 of 1114	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.1	1094 of 1114	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.3	1092 of 1109	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.7	1042 of 1103	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	1030 of 1105	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.8	949 of 1097	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.0	986 of 1099	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.8	966 of 1096	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.9	942 of 1100	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	0.9	1107 of 1110	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.3	1103 of 1120	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.8	1111 of 1117	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	12.0	1082 of 1117	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	15.9	1060 of 1113	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	17.8	1020 of 1082	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	21.0	988 of 1081	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	31.0	897 of 1083	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	23.2	960 of 1071	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	8.6	1040 of 1062	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	5.2	570 of 579	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.2	573 of 588	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	556 of 579	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	4.6	1066 of 1096	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.2	1065 of 1098	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.3	1081 of 1100	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	1030 of 1046	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.6	1018 of 1036	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	4.4	1067 of 1093	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.3	1083 of 1101	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.4	1079 of 1093	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	904 of 973	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	944 of 979	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.7	980 of 984	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

White (2025)7th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

African American (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

VA Studies49%-20 vs state

Science46%-23 vs state

English Reading35%-36 vs state

Mathematics20%-50 vs state

★

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Schools Near S.P. Morton Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)				SOL Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)				SOL VA Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
S.P. Morton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	300 Morton Street	Franklin	23851	Franklin city	Franklin City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 562-5458	620	40	15.5	101.5%	84 (13.5%)	463 (74.7%)	34 (5.5%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.3%)	3.4	1086^th of 1110 public elementary schools	2.2%		3.8	1093^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	1.9%	7	17.5	18.0	25.7	18.6	45.7	17.5	40.3	51.4	34.3	48.7		$10,602	$2,051	$8,552
Riverdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	31023 Camp Parkway	Courtland	23837	Southampton County	Southampton County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 562-3007	533	33	15.9	91.2%	265 (49.7%)	224 (42.0%)	17 (3.2%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	20 (3.8%)	67.2	390^th of 1110 public elementary schools	64.9%		63.1	451^st of 1114 public elementary schools	59.5%	61	85.4	92.8	83.1		74.7	64.6	75.4	67.6			88.6	$7,413	$793	$6,621
Carrsville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5355 Carrsville Hwy	Carrsville	23315	Isle of Wight County	Isle of Wight County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 357-8844	232	16	14.9	69.4%	163 (70.3%)	33 (14.2%)	17 (7.3%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (6.9%)	78.9	234^th of 1110 public elementary schools	78.9%		75.5	273^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	75.5%	39	87.9	91.8	89.7		71.8	63.6	87.8	89.7		89.8		$11,625	$1,032	$10,592
Southwestern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	150 Pioneer Rd	Suffolk	23437	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 925-5782	579	31	18.6	69.4%	324 (56.0%)	153 (26.4%)	53 (9.2%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	42 (7.3%)	64.8	423^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	61.9%		47.8	642^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	42.4%	219	81.2	81.9	77.9		79.0	72.9	73.5	77.2		67.1		$7,804	$717	$7,087
Meherrin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	28600 Grays Shop Rd.	Newsoms	23874	Southampton County	Southampton County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 654-6461	218	21	10.5	89.0%	104 (47.7%)	97 (44.5%)	6 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	34.7	777^th of 1110 public elementary schools	30.0%		33.5	796^th of 1114 public elementary schools	28.5%	19	89.7	64.5	43.6		59.0	60.0	61.3	56.4			73.7	$10,071	$1,030	$9,041
Nottoway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13093 Ivor Rd.	Sedley	23878	Southampton County	Southampton County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 859-6539	235	16	14.9	91.5%	161 (68.5%)	53 (22.6%)	13 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	71.2	339^th of 1110 public elementary schools	69.5%		74.7	287^th of 1114 public elementary schools	74.2%	52	80.0	68.4	81.6		79.0	84.0	81.6	81.6			86.1	$8,372	$871	$7,501
Capron Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18414 Southampton Pky	Capron	23829	Southampton County	Southampton County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 658-4348	176	14	12.5	90.9%	112 (63.6%)	44 (25.0%)	10 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	6 (3.4%)	75.7	278^th of 1110 public elementary schools	75.0%		61.2	475^th of 1114 public elementary schools	57.4%	197	80.0	90.5	88.9		88.9	71.4	81.0	77.8			85.2	$8,523	$812	$7,711
Kilby Shores Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	111 Kilby Shores Dr	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 934-6214	494	29	17.0	69.2%	179 (36.2%)	211 (42.7%)	52 (10.5%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	45 (9.1%)	52.1	573^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	48.4%		46.4	653^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	41.4%	80	81.3	71.8	71.8		76.1	65.6	70.0	66.2		65.7		$9,375	$1,045	$8,330
Windsor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20008 Courthouse Hwy	Windsor	23487	Isle of Wight County	Isle of Wight County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 242-4193	624	46	13.6	72.0%	441 (70.7%)	91 (14.6%)	35 (5.6%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	52 (8.3%)	67.4	388^th of 1110 public elementary schools	65.0%		74.3	293^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	73.7%	95	87.9	89.3	77.6		66.3	68.9	85.0	72.5		80.4		$10,867	$1,032	$9,834
Elephant's Fork Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2316 William Reid Dr	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 923-5250	653	36	18.1	69.1%	140 (21.4%)	408 (62.5%)	56 (8.6%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.9%)	21.1	916^th of 1110 public elementary schools	17.5%		30.6	836^th of 1114 public elementary schools	25.0%	80	69.4	50.4	49.4		51.2	65.4	54.9	58.0		47.3		$8,038	$1,038	$6,999

Frequently Asked Questions about S.P. Morton Elementary

Is S.P. Morton Elementary a good school?

S.P. Morton Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.2% of Virginia elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of S.P. Morton Elementary?

Students at S.P. Morton Elementary are 75% African American, 14% White, 5% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of S.P. Morton Elementary attend?

Students who attend S.P. Morton Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Franklin High

What district is S.P. Morton Elementary in?

Franklin City Public Schools

How many students attend S.P. Morton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 620 students attended S.P. Morton Elementary.

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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.