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Falling Branch Elementary

Q: Is Falling Branch Elementary a good school?

Falling Branch Elementary ranks 719 th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

719^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Falling Branch Elementary is a public elementary school in Christiansburg, Virginia, serving 569 students in grades PK-5. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district, which is ranked 54 out of 129 school districts in the state.

Falling Branch Elementary has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past few years, dropping from 387th out of 1,109 Virginia elementary schools in 2021-2022 to 719th out of 1,110 in 2024-2025. The school's performance on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests is mixed, with higher proficiency in 3rd and 5th grade Mathematics compared to the district and state, but lower performance in English Reading and other subjects across all grade levels. Notably, the school has a significantly higher percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 87.7% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year.

Compared to nearby schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools district, such as Prices Fork Elementary, Kipps Elementary, and Harding Avenue Elementary, Falling Branch Elementary's academic performance is generally lower, with many of the nearby schools ranking in the top 20-30% of Virginia elementary schools. The school's high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 12.8% to 19.3% over the past few years, may also be contributing to its academic challenges.

535

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,611

Per pupil spending ?

88.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

735 Falling Branch Rd
Christiansburg, VA 24073

(540) 381-6145

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Students who attend Falling Branch Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Christiansburg Middle
High:	Christiansburg High

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.6%

Hispanic:

12.1%

Two or more races:

7.7%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Falling Branch Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2015 → 35th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Montgomery County Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school66%

District avg75%

Virginia avg71%

719^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools

54^th of 129Montgomery 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	719 of 1110	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.8	643 of 1114	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.2	503 of 1114	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.1	387 of 1109	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	458 of 1103	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.8	460 of 1105	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.5	590 of 1097	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.4	641 of 1099	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	62.7	418 of 1096	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.1	466 of 1100	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	50.3	598 of 1110	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.6	635 of 1120	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.7	776 of 1117	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	39.1	814 of 1117	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	36.2	883 of 1113	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	54.0	529 of 1082	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	27.6	925 of 1081	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.2	912 of 1083	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	34.8	840 of 1071	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	26.3	908 of 1062	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	748 of 1096	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.2	668 of 1098	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.1	562 of 1100	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	849 of 1046	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.9	641 of 1036	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	43.3	668 of 1093	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.1	623 of 1101	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.1	458 of 1093	58.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	811 of 973	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.2	752 of 979	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.8	653 of 984	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)39th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)32nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile-16 vs school

White (2025)17th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

VA Studies69%~ state avg

Mathematics68%-5 vs state

English Reading65%-6 vs state

Science64%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Falling Branch 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 Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Falling Branch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	735 Falling Branch Rd	Christiansburg	24073	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 381-6145	535	44	12.2	88.6%	394 (73.6%)	32 (6.0%)	65 (12.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.7%)	40.3	719^th of 1110 public elementary schools	35.2%		47.8	643^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	42.3%	76	75.3	60.0	68.5	64.0	59.3	64.7	69.3	69.4	$10,611	$621	$9,990
Christiansburg Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	240 Betty Drive	Christiansburg	24073	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 382-5175	346	28	12.3	50.6%	241 (69.7%)	25 (7.2%)	36 (10.4%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.6%)								(n/a)									$10,152	$520	$9,633
Christiansburg Elementary	Public	3-5	160 Wades Lane	Christiansburg	24073	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 382-5172	401	31	12.9	42.6%	285 (71.1%)	32 (8.0%)	40 (10.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	39 (9.7%)	59.8	476^th of 1110 public elementary schools	57.1%		68.5	377^th of 1114 public elementary schools	66.2%	99	84.2	70.7	78.8	76.1	79.7	68.5	84.1	60.7	$9,830	$947	$8,882
Auburn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1760 Auburn School Dr.	Riner	24149	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 381-6521	544	41	13.3	47.4%	489 (89.9%)	5 (0.9%)	19 (3.5%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.0%)	64.8	420^th of 1110 public elementary schools	62.2%		70.1	355^th of 1114 public elementary schools	68.1%	65	75.9	87.5	75.6	67.8	67.5	85.2	74.4	83.0	$9,347	$599	$8,748
Margaret Beeks Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	709 Airport Rd	Blacksburg	24060	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 951-5700	346	26	13.3	39.9%	230 (66.5%)	29 (8.4%)	29 (8.4%)	25 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (9.2%)	82.1	181^st of 1110 public elementary schools	83.7%		70.2	351^st of 1114 public elementary schools	68.5%	170	74.5	87.1	90.6	90.6	87.0	86.9	94.3	80.3	$10,254	$342	$9,912
Kipps Elementary	Public	K-5	2801 Prices Fork Rd	Blacksburg	24060	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 951-5760	358	26	13.7	23.2%	238 (66.5%)	10 (2.8%)	32 (8.9%)	59 (16.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.3%)	84.4	137^th of 1110 public elementary schools	87.7%		87.1	90^th of 1114 public elementary schools	91.9%	47	94.6	93.7	83.3	75.9	83.9	91.0	82.4	91.0	$9,494	$498	$8,995
Harding Avenue Elementary	Public	K-5	429 Harding Avenue	Blacksburg	24060	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 951-5732	279	21	13.1	23.7%	197 (70.6%)	11 (3.9%)	19 (6.8%)	32 (11.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.8%)	89.1	64^th of 1110 public elementary schools	94.2%		90.8	37^th of 1114 public elementary schools	96.7%	27	87.2	89.8	94.7	94.7	87.2	91.5	94.6	89.4	$9,379	$382	$8,997
Gilbert Linkous Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	813 Toms Creek Rd	Blacksburg	24060	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 951-5726	292	24	12.1	28.8%	197 (67.5%)	14 (4.8%)	16 (5.5%)	45 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.8%)	79.9	215^th of 1110 public elementary schools	80.6%		80.6	208^th of 1114 public elementary schools	81.3%	7	81.8	93.0	84.8	79.3	75.0	94.6	86.7	79.0	$9,686	$104	$9,582
Belview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3187 Peppers Ferry Rd	Radford	24141	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 633-3200	245	22	11.0	60.0%	182 (74.3%)	22 (9.0%)	16 (6.5%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (9.0%)	40.5	714^th of 1110 public elementary schools	35.7%		33.8	792^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	28.9%	78	63.4	57.6	80.5	68.3	68.3	57.6	75.6	45.5	$13,253	$1,484	$11,769
Prices Fork Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4021 Prices Fork Rd	Blacksburg	24060	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 951-5736	457	34	13.4	86.9%	297 (65.0%)	15 (3.3%)	90 (19.7%)	17 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.1%)	49.2	609^th of 1110 public elementary schools	45.1%		63.1	450^th of 1114 public elementary schools	59.6%	159	73.2	78.9	69.4	55.6	64.8	76.9	71.8	75.0	$1,819	$389	$1,430

Frequently Asked Questions about Falling Branch Elementary

How many students attend Falling Branch Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended Falling Branch Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Falling Branch Elementary attend?

Students who attend Falling Branch Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Christiansburg Middle
High : Christiansburg High

What is the racial makeup of Falling Branch Elementary?

Students at Falling Branch Elementary are 74% White, 12% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 6% African American.

Is Falling Branch Elementary a good school?

Falling Branch Elementary ranks 719^th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Falling Branch Elementary in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

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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.