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Discovery Stem Academy

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

1048^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Discovery STEM Academy is an elementary public magnet school in Newport News, Virginia, serving 550 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Newport News City Public Schools district, which is ranked 111 out of 129 districts in the state.

Despite being a magnet school focused on STEM education, Discovery STEM Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Virginia elementary schools over the past several years, with proficiency rates in mathematics and reading around 40-50%, significantly below the district and state averages. The school also experiences high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 15.7% to 26.8%, and serves a very high percentage of students from low-income families, with 84.05% to 97.27% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Interestingly, two other nearby magnet schools, Achievable Dream Academy and Newsome Park Elementary, consistently outperform Discovery STEM Academy on academic measures, with proficiency rates that are 10-20 percentage points higher. This suggests that factors beyond just socioeconomic status, such as the school's educational approach, resources, and programming, may be contributing to the performance differences.

561

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,892

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1712 Chestnut Ave
Newport News, VA 23607

(757) 928-6838

District: Newport News City Public Schools

Students who attend Discovery Stem Academy usually attend:

Middle:	Huntington Middle
High:	Heritage High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

81.5%

Hispanic:

9.3%

Two or more races:

6.6%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Discovery Stem Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 7th percentile in 2018 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (45% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Science scores 33 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg58%

Virginia avg71%

1,048^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 1 pts since 2018

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd of 24Elementary Schools in the Newport News City Public Schools

111^th of 129Newport News 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	7.4	1048 of 1110	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.6	991 of 1114	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	1048 of 1114	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	1042 of 1109	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.2	1062 of 1103	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	1058 of 1105	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	1024 of 1097	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	15.9	527 of 579	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	485 of 588	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	496 of 579	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	2.8	1080 of 1096	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	991 of 1098	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.7	1064 of 1100	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	14.1	979 of 1046	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	851 of 1036	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	15.9	969 of 1093	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	975 of 1101	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	986 of 1093	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)11th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2025)9th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

VA Studies51%-17 vs state

Mathematics49%-24 vs state

English Reading43%-27 vs state

Science36%-33 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, December 14, 2019

My daughter is a 2nd grader and is thriving at discovery. Being biracial I was concerned at how she would fit in but she is growing in every way possible. Ms. Hastings is amazing and I can't say anything negative about the school. The neighborhood should be greatful to have such a positive institution. Close Quote

Schools Near Discovery Stem Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Geometry (2025)	SOL Algebra I (2025)		SOL Mathematics (2025)						SOL Science (2025)		SOL Earth Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)						SOL Civics and Economics (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 Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Discovery Stem Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1712 Chestnut Ave	Newport News	23607	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(757) 928-6838	561	32	17.5	98.9%	12 (2.1%)	457 (81.5%)	52 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	37 (6.6%)	7.4	1048^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.6%		13.6	991^st of 1114 public elementary schools	11.0%	57				49.5	56.6	40.0				36.0			39.4	50.0	41.3					51.3	$9,892	$968	$8,924
Achievable Dream Academy	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	726 16th St.	Newport News	23607	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(757) 928-6827	641	33	19.4	100.3%	16 (2.5%)	526 (82.1%)	56 (8.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.2%)	31.5	811^th of 1110 public elementary schools	26.9%		41	718^th of 1114 public elementary schools	35.5%	93				64.5	65.7	67.1				72.0			51.4	61.6	70.7					44.4	$8,186	$769	$7,417
John Marshall Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	743 24th Street	Newport News	23607	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 928-6832	213	15	14.2	100.0%	2 (0.9%)	173 (81.2%)	17 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.4%)								(n/a)																					$14,479	$2,416	$12,062
Newsome Park Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4200 Marshall Ave	Newport News	23607	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(757) 928-6810	386	25	15.4	98.4%	4 (1.0%)	329 (85.2%)	33 (8.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	5.6	1069^th of 1110 public elementary schools	3.7%		3.1	1098^th of 1114 public elementary schools	1.4%	29				42.0	40.0	50.0				48.6			48.0	38.2	41.4					25.5	$12,112	$1,426	$10,686
Hunter B. Andrews	Public	PK, KG-8	3120 Victoria Boulevard	Hampton	23661	Hampton city	Hampton City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 268-3333	1,081	75	14.4	84.6%	213 (19.7%)	697 (64.5%)	39 (3.6%)	18 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	111 (10.3%)	33.9	787^th of 1110 public elementary schools	29.1%		38	749^th of 1114 public elementary schools	32.8%	38	100.0	100.0	100.0	66.7	58.6	52.8	62.8	55.1	68.3	70.8	68.2	100.0	63.0	64.1	68.1	69.7	77.2	75.6	72.7	42.2	$8,626	$1,099	$7,526
A.W.E. Bassette Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	671 Bell St	Hampton	23661	Hampton city	Hampton City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 727-1071	486	31	15.6	92.2%	42 (8.6%)	355 (73.0%)	36 (7.4%)	10 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.6%)	42.3	696^th of 1110 public elementary schools	37.3%		38.2	745^th of 1114 public elementary schools	33.1%	49				79.5	68.6	61.5				59.3			73.5	67.6	56.1					70.0	$9,290	$1,410	$7,880
Armstrong Elementary	Public	K-5	3401 Matoaka Rd	Hampton	23661	Hampton city	Hampton City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 727-1067	288	17	16.9	94.4%	136 (47.2%)	92 (31.9%)	20 (6.9%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (12.5%)	71.1	341^st of 1110 public elementary schools	69.3%		80.2	215^th of 1114 public elementary schools	80.7%	126				76.9	87.8	68.1				79.2			69.2	93.8	81.3					87.5	$10,594	$607	$9,987
Aberdeen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1424 Aberdeen Rd	Hampton	23666	Hampton city	Hampton City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 825-4624	482	33	14.6	90.2%	51 (10.6%)	335 (69.5%)	29 (6.0%)	4 (0.8%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (12.2%)	39.8	723^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	34.9%		26.2	885^th of 1114 public elementary schools	20.6%	162				73.0	52.6	79.1				75.3			61.4	55.3	71.2					54.9	$8,764	$1,686	$7,077
Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6160 Jefferson Ave	Newport News	23605	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 591-4950	634	37	17.1	101.3%	53 (8.4%)	344 (54.3%)	184 (29.0%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (7.6%)	6.1	1063^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	4.2%		5.5	1075^th of 1114 public elementary schools	3.5%	12				47.8	45.7	50.5				47.4			42.3	41.5	48.5					31.9	$11,703	$1,365	$10,338
Mary W. Jackson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	113 Wellington Dr	Hampton	23666	Hampton city	Hampton City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 825-4641	343	24	14.2	95.6%	70 (20.4%)	197 (57.4%)	24 (7.0%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (13.1%)	90.3	45^th of 1110 public elementary schools	95.9%		88.6	61^st of 1114 public elementary schools	94.5%	16				88.9	91.2	88.9				91.7			88.9	100.0	94.4					91.2	$10,164	$587	$9,577

Frequently Asked Questions about Discovery Stem Academy

What schools do graduates of Discovery Stem Academy attend?

Students who attend Discovery Stem Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : Huntington Middle
High : Heritage High

What is the racial makeup of Discovery Stem Academy?

Students at Discovery Stem Academy are 81% African American, 9% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 2% White.

Is Discovery Stem Academy a good school?

Discovery Stem Academy ranks in the bottom 5.6% of Virginia elementary schools.

How many students attend Discovery Stem Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 561 students attended Discovery Stem Academy.

What district is Discovery Stem Academy in?

Newport News City 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.