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Portsmouth City Public Schools

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At a glance

114^thof 131 Virginia districts▲ 3

Better than 12% of Virginia districts

Elementary 13 Middle 3 High 3Grades PK, KG-12

801 Crawford St
Portsmouth, VA 23705-3822·(757) 393-8742·All Virginia district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 13% of districts

Schools

12,905

Students

5-star school

Top rankedChurchland High20^th of 331 Virginia high schools

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Biggest riser

Hodges Manor Elementary up 97 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Olive Branch Preschool Center 8.5 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

2★

1★

0★

4 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Virginia districts →See the top-ranked Virginia schools →

Summary:

Portsmouth City Public Schools serves approximately 12,414 students across 19 schools — 13 elementary schools (K-6), 3 middle schools (7-8), and 3 high schools (9-12) — in a high-poverty district where nearly every school reports free/reduced-price lunch rates at or above 100%, and the district as a whole ranks 114th of 131 Virginia districts.

The clear standout is Churchland High, ranked 20th of 331 Virginia high schools (94th percentile, 5 stars), with a 92.8% graduation rate, roughly 94% proficiency on SOL exams, and the lowest per-student spending among the district's three high schools. By comparison, Manor High and I.C. Norcom High graduate about 85% of students and have dropout rates near 10%, roughly double the state rate. Among elementary schools, Churchland Primary & Intermediate and Churchland Elementary are the strongest, with proficiency near 68% and chronic absenteeism around 5–6%. At the other end, Douglass Park Elementary (1,054th of 1,111) and Waterview Elementary (1,025th, with the district's highest chronic absenteeism at 28%) are the lowest-performing elementary schools.

Several patterns stand out for parents. Middle schools show a striking two-tier math problem: students in advanced courses score near 100% proficient in Algebra I, while grade-level math proficiency at Cradock Middle is just 25–31%. Spending also does not track results — Cradock Middle spends the most in the district ($13,319 per student) yet is the lowest-ranked middle school, while Churchland High spends the least among high schools and performs best. Chronic absenteeism is the clearest non-academic indicator of school health: the strongest schools have rates near 5%, while the weakest approach 28%. The district's 1-star rating hides wide variation, from Churchland High's 5-star performance to six 0-star schools, and high schools are improving while some former elementary standouts have slipped.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SOL Writing (2026)			SOL Geometry (2026)					SOL Algebra I (2026)						SOL Algebra II (2026)				SOL Mathematics (2026)						SOL Chemistry (2026)		SOL Biology (2026)				SOL Science (2026)		SOL Earth Science (2026)			SOL English Reading (2026)										SOL Geography (2026)		SOL VA and US History (2026)				SOL World History I (2026)				SOL World History II (2026)			SOL Civics and Economics (2026)	SOL VA Studies (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Writing 10th Grade	SOL Writing 11th Grade	SOL Writing 12th Grade	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Geometry 10th Grade	SOL Geometry 11th Grade	SOL Geometry 12th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 11th Grade	SOL Algebra I 12th Grade	SOL Algebra II 9th Grade	SOL Algebra II 10th Grade	SOL Algebra II 11th Grade	SOL Algebra II 12th 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 Chemistry 10th Grade	SOL Chemistry 11th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Biology 12th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 10th Grade	SOL Earth Science 11th Grade	SOL Earth Science 12th 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 English Reading 9th Grade	SOL English Reading 10th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	SOL Geography 10th Grade	SOL Geography 12th Grade	SOL VA and US History 9th Grade	SOL VA and US History 10th Grade	SOL VA and US History 11th Grade	SOL VA and US History 12th Grade	SOL World History I 9th Grade	SOL World History I 10th Grade	SOL World History I 11th Grade	SOL World History I 12th Grade	SOL World History II 9th Grade	SOL World History II 10th Grade	SOL World History II 11th 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
Churchland High	Public, Magnet	9-12	4301 Cedar Ln	Portsmouth	23703	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 686-2500	1,453	98	14.8	100.4%	278 (19.1%)	993 (68.3%)	87 (6.0%)	13 (0.9%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	78 (5.4%)	80.4	20^th of 331 public high schools	94.0%		73	72^nd of 328 public high schools	78.0%	52	402.0	78.5	96.9	≥ 50%	93.6	86.4	436.0	≥ 50%			86.4	95.2	455.0	100.0	95.2	428.0	< 50%	≥ 50%									98.0	95.3	96.3	86.7			≥ 50%		≥ 50%								493.0	97.2	100.0	≥ 50%	≥ 50%					93.9	100.0	100.0	487.0	≥ 50%	< 50%				$8,964	$1,034	$7,930
New Directions Center	Public		401 West Road	Portsmouth	23707	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 393-8728	0	11	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Cradock Middle	Public	7-8	21 Alden Ave	Portsmouth	23702	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 393-8788	516	38	13.5	103.5%	36 (7.0%)	395 (76.6%)	36 (7.0%)	4 (0.8%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.9%)	12.1	390^th of 416 public middle schools	6.3%		11.5	389^th of 419 public middle schools	7.2%	1				87.5					100.0	98.5													25.0	31.4								45.1								46.9	48.7																		48.2		$13,319	$3,103	$10,216
Churchland Elementary	Public	K-6	5601 Michael Ln	Portsmouth	23703	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 686-2523	721	44	16.3	99.6%	196 (27.2%)	351 (48.7%)	77 (10.7%)	13 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (11.5%)	40.1	734^th of 1111 public elementary schools	33.9%		51.3	583^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	47.5%	151																			66.0	67.3	76.5	79.0									63.3					56.0	60.0	69.4	84.0																					54.6	$9,406	$1,438	$7,969
Churchland Middle	Public	7-8	4051 River Shore Rd	Portsmouth	23703	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 686-2512	798	54	14.7	100.5%	122 (15.3%)	555 (69.5%)	56 (7.0%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (6.5%)	24.6	351^st of 416 public middle schools	15.6%		21	365^th of 419 public middle schools	12.9%	14				97.7					96.3	91.3													23.9	23.8								51.2								61.2	63.0																		66.5		$10,307	$1,935	$8,372
Churchland Primary & Intermediate	Public	K-6	5700 Hedgerow Ln	Portsmouth	23703	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 686-2519	503	36	13.9	100.4%	59 (11.7%)	371 (73.8%)	35 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.0%)	45	676^th of 1111 public elementary schools	39.2%		42.4	693^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	37.6%	17																			73.9	61.0	56.6	81.3									56.6					67.7	69.5	67.9	80.0																					68.3	$9,887	$2,314	$7,572
Douglass Park Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-6	34 Grand St	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(757) 393-8646	510	33	15.4	102.9%	8 (1.6%)	436 (85.5%)	46 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	18 (3.5%)	6.6	1054^th of 1111 public elementary schools	5.1%		1.9	1101^st of 1110 public elementary schools	0.8%	47																			52.6	32.4	37.9	41.7									45.6					44.7	38.0	39.7	66.7																					43.7	$9,237	$2,293	$6,943
Hodges Manor Elementary	Public	K-6	1201 Cherokee Rd	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2921	466	31	15.0	101.3%	68 (14.6%)	315 (67.6%)	39 (8.4%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.3%)	26.7	879^th of 1111 public elementary schools	20.9%		15.6	976^th of 1110 public elementary schools	12.1%	97																			50.0	59.4	64.1	69.7									51.6					50.0	62.5	65.6	67.7																					60.9	$11,018	$2,750	$8,268
I.C. Norcom High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1801 London Blvd	Portsmouth	23704	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 393-5442	1,009	75	13.4	100.7%	42 (4.2%)	883 (87.5%)	41 (4.1%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	35 (3.5%)	46.7	216^th of 331 public high schools	34.7%		42.3	241^st of 328 public high schools	26.5%	25	361.0	60.7	69.3		91.4	380.0	≥ 50%	< 50%			73.4	81.3	468.0	83.3	83.3	< 50%	465.0	< 50%							< 50%	405.0	87.9	71.9	72.2	90.7					≥ 50%							≥ 50%	60.0	85.0	88.1				≥ 50%	386.0		72.6	79.3	78.6	100.0	< 50%	356.0				$10,960	$1,693	$9,267
Cradock Elementary	Public	K-6	18 Dahlgren Ave	Portsmouth	23702	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 558-2811	616	32	19.2	100.0%	58 (9.4%)	410 (66.6%)	78 (12.7%)	11 (1.8%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	54 (8.8%)	9.2	1033^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	7.0%		3.7	1082^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	2.5%	49																			54.8	44.3	41.3	48.1									38.7					44.1	48.9	44.0	67.1																					48.8	$9,399	$2,707	$6,693
Waterview Elementary	Public	K-6	3649 Hartford St	Portsmouth	23707	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8879	576	38	15.1	99.7%	71 (12.3%)	410 (71.2%)	43 (7.5%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	44 (7.6%)	10.4	1025^th of 1111 public elementary schools	7.7%		6.6	1058^th of 1110 public elementary schools	4.7%	33																			43.5	32.9	65.7	62.9									47.8					46.4	35.7	42.9	44.3																					30.9	$9,034	$2,451	$6,582
Lakeview Elementary	Public	K-6	1300 Horne Ave	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2901	439	32	13.7	100.2%	25 (5.7%)	353 (80.4%)	27 (6.2%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.4%)	13.2	1003^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	9.7%		7	1054^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.0%	51																			57.8	33.3	68.3	56.7									47.5					53.3	48.4	48.3	55.0																					34.4	$12,417	$3,144	$9,273
Manor High	Public, Magnet	9-12	1401 Elmhurst Ln	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 465-2907	1,149	100	11.4	100.3%	239 (20.8%)	739 (64.3%)	91 (7.9%)	8 (0.7%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	67 (5.8%)	52	189^th of 331 public high schools	42.9%		47	215^th of 328 public high schools	34.5%	26	54.6	63.6	88.7		90.2	57.1	368.0	≥ 50%			74.4	72.2	437.0	94.4	94.4	≥ 50%											88.1	79.3	75.9	88.9			≥ 50%	< 50%	< 50%							≥ 50%	63.6	78.9	84.6			< 50%	≥ 50%	386.0	< 50%	80.8	83.3	70.7	94.3		≥ 50%	< 50%			$10,656	$1,258	$9,398
Simonsdale Elementary	Public	K-6	4841 Clifford Street	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2917	613	40	15.3	99.5%	250 (40.8%)	258 (42.1%)	46 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	53 (8.6%)	18.3	959^th of 1111 public elementary schools	13.7%		21.9	902^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	18.7%	57																			49.4	57.9	46.6	55.2									64.4					48.2	65.3	57.5	58.2																					56.0	$8,887	$1,900	$6,987
Park View Elementary	Public	K-6	260 Elm Ave	Portsmouth	23704	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8647	400	34	11.7	101.0%	37 (9.3%)	303 (75.8%)	30 (7.5%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	21 (5.3%)	20.6	935^th of 1111 public elementary schools	15.8%		22.2	898^th of 1110 public elementary schools	19.1%	37																			53.2	44.4	65.5	76.3									63.8					44.4	50.0	55.2	64.4																					48.6	$11,253	$2,948	$8,305
Westhaven Elementary	Public	K-6	3701 Clifford St	Portsmouth	23707	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8855	401	35	11.4	100.0%	64 (16.0%)	268 (66.8%)	31 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (8.7%)	14.2	996^th of 1111 public elementary schools	10.4%		8.2	1043^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	6.0%	47																			66.1	59.3	51.1	52.8									44.4					50.0	47.5	57.8	48.1																					49.2	$11,875	$2,810	$9,065
William E. Waters Middle	Public	7-8	600 Roosevelt Blvd	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 558-2813	549	46	11.9	98.9%	113 (20.6%)	358 (65.2%)	39 (7.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (6.2%)	13	385^th of 416 public middle schools	7.5%		20.6	367^th of 419 public middle schools	12.4%	18				80.8					100.0	91.1													29.5	28.1								41.4								54.2	53.7																		56.6		$12,280	$2,357	$9,923
Churchland Academy Elementary	Public	K-6	4061 River Shore Rd	Portsmouth	23703	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 686-2527	626	40	15.6	118.1%	63 (10.1%)	446 (71.2%)	58 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	57 (9.1%)	27	876^th of 1111 public elementary schools	21.2%		29.5	834^th of 1110 public elementary schools	24.9%	42																			53.6	62.8	71.4	64.6									65.7					42.0	61.5	67.1	58.5																					55.1	$10,207	$2,337	$7,870
Brighton Elementary	Public	K-6	1100 Portsmouth Blvd.	Portsmouth	23704	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8870	483	31	15.5	99.4%	15 (3.1%)	401 (83.0%)	33 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.4%)	23.9	905^th of 1111 public elementary schools	18.5%		16.4	967^th of 1110 public elementary schools	12.9%	62																			56.7	56.3	83.9	71.7									60.7					45.9	52.8	60.7	48.3																					50.0	$11,238	$3,029	$8,208
Mount Hermon Preschool Center	Public	PK	3000 North St.	Portsmouth	23707	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 393-8825	208	20	10.4	97.1%	22 (10.6%)	148 (71.2%)	24 (11.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	10 (4.8%)								(n/a)
Victory Elementary	Public	K-6	2828 Greenwood Drive	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8806	586	37	15.8	100.5%	107 (18.3%)	360 (61.4%)	49 (8.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	63 (10.8%)	27.9	868^th of 1111 public elementary schools	21.9%		17.7	953^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	14.1%	85																			73.8	67.9	67.1	52.0									51.3					65.5	63.0	51.9	57.1																					58.0	$10,658	$2,577	$8,081
Churchland Preschool Center	Public	PK	4061 River Shore Road	Portsmouth	23703	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 686-2533	112	11	10.1		15 (13.4%)	79 (70.5%)	9 (8.0%)	1 (0.9%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.3%)								(n/a)
Olive Branch Preschool Center	Public	PK	415 Mimosa Road	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 465-2926	171	20	8.5	101.2%	19 (11.1%)	129 (75.4%)	14 (8.2%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.5%)								(n/a)

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Suffolk City Public Schools	2.41 mi	23	72^nd
Chesapeake City Public Schools	2.71 mi	48	34^th
Norfolk City Public Schools	3.78 mi	50	112^th
Kings Daughters	4.05 mi	1
Virginia Department of Corrections	4.88 mi	62

See the top VA Virginia districts

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.