Summary:
Dahlgren, Virginia is served by a single elementary school, Potomac Elementary, which provides K-5 education to 566 students within the King George County Public Schools district.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that Potomac Elementary is a solid, mid-tier school with clear strengths in mathematics and a few areas that need attention. In the most recent testing year, the school outperformed its district in 4th and 5th grade math, with 4th grade proficiency at 81% compared to the district’s 70% and the state’s 73%. Reading results were mixed. Third and 4th grade reading beat the state average, but 5th grade reading dropped sharply to 61%, well below both the district and state. The biggest red flag is 5th grade science, where only 44% of students are proficient, a gap of nearly 25 points behind the state average. On the positive side, 4th grade VA Studies improved significantly and now exceeds both district and state averages.
Year-over-year trends reveal a challenging 2025–26 school year. Math proficiency declined in every grade, reading declined in every grade, and 5th grade science fell by more than 20 percentage points. These declines likely explain why the school’s state ranking slipped from the 56th percentile to the 40th percentile. Still, the school’s chronic absenteeism rate of 15.7% is much better than the district’s 21.1%, and about 37% of students receive free or reduced lunch, indicating moderate economic need. Overall, Potomac Elementary remains competitive with its district in most subjects, but reversing the upper-elementary reading and science slide will be essential for improving its statewide standing. For families already in Dahlgren or considering a move, this is a neighborhood school that offers strong math instruction and a supportive environment, though parents of 5th graders should watch science and reading closely.
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