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John Adams Elementary

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5
895th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools
Better than 19% of Virginia elementary schools
Summary

John Adams Elementary is a PreK-5 school in Alexandria City Public Schools serving 743 students in Alexandria, VA, where the entire student body qualifies for meal assistance and the school spends $15,767 per pupil with a 15:1 student-teacher ratio.

Academically, John Adams ranks 895th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools (19th percentile), though its state rank has improved three years in a row. The school's upper-elementary students shine: 5th grade math (65% proficiency) and science (63%) both beat the ACPS district average, and 4th grade Virginia Studies proficiency hit 89% — far above the state average of 71% and the highest among nearby ACPS schools. African American students rank in the 53rd percentile statewide, and English Learner students jumped from the 19th to 40th percentile over two years. However, early grades remain the biggest challenge — 3rd grade reading (44%) and math (43%) lag well behind state averages. Compared to nearby schools, John Adams outperforms Ferdinand T. Day Elementary (955th) and William Ramsay Elementary (1,029th) overall, while its 5th grade science scores exceed every nearby ACPS elementary. High-poverty Fairfax County schools like Glen Forest Elementary and Parklawn Elementary score well below John Adams in 5th grade math.

One of the school's biggest wins is attendance: chronic absenteeism dropped from 44.5% in 2021-2022 to 11.2% in 2024-2025 — better than the district (13.8%), the state (14.8%), and nearby schools like Abingdon Elementary (13.5%). For a high-poverty school, this signals strong family engagement and a positive school climate. The bottom line: John Adams is a 1-star school by Virginia standards, but it has real strengths — improving test scores, standout 4th and 5th grade results, strong support for vulnerable student groups, and excellent attendance. The biggest opportunity for future growth lies in early-grade reading and math instruction.

743
Students ?
15.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,767
Per pupil spending ?
110.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 5651 Rayburn Ave
       Alexandria, VA  22311

(703) 824-6970

District: Alexandria City Public Schools


Students who attend John Adams Elementary usually attend:

High:    Alexandria City High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
40.8%
African American:
24.8%
White:
19.8%
more
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 Compare John Adams Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 16th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Virginia average (59% vs 72% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)
!English Reading scores 18 pts below the Virginia average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school59%
District avg63%
Virginia avg72%
895th of 1,111
Virginia public elementary schools ?
Bottom 19%▲ up 3 pts since 2016
From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
10th of 14Elementary Schools in the Alexandria City Public Schools
103rd of 131Alexandria 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202624.9895 of 111119.4%★☆☆☆☆
202519.5934 of 111015.9%★☆☆☆☆
202417.5962 of 111413.6%★☆☆☆☆
202334.6793 of 111428.8%★☆☆☆☆
202225.6877 of 110920.9%★☆☆☆☆
202130.2811 of 110326.5%★☆☆☆☆
201936.0807 of 110527.0%★☆☆☆☆
201823.2946 of 109713.8%★☆☆☆☆
201720.7972 of 109911.6%★☆☆☆☆
201625.6921 of 109616.0%★☆☆☆☆
201525.8920 of 110016.4%★☆☆☆☆
201437.5778 of 111029.9%★☆☆☆☆
201329.6887 of 112020.8%★☆☆☆☆
20127.11100 of 11171.5%☆☆☆☆☆
201119.51044 of 11176.5%☆☆☆☆☆
201010.81083 of 11132.7%☆☆☆☆☆
200915.41038 of 10824.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200819.21009 of 10816.7%☆☆☆☆☆
200710.11060 of 10832.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200633.3859 of 107119.8%★☆☆☆☆
200521.9945 of 106211.0%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202656.7275 of 59153.5%★★★☆☆
202560.6227 of 57960.8%★★★☆☆
202454.0290 of 58850.7%★★★☆☆
202371.1142 of 57975.5%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202624.2209 of 24615.0%★☆☆☆☆
202410.8227 of 2384.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202328.4188 of 23018.3%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202641.1189 of 31540.0%★★☆☆☆
202537.1206 of 32636.8%★★☆☆☆
202424.9248 of 30619.0%★☆☆☆☆
202354.6133 of 30055.7%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202619.8950 of 110013.6%★☆☆☆☆
202514.2979 of 109610.7%★☆☆☆☆
202419.5939 of 109814.5%★☆☆☆☆
202343.7666 of 110039.5%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202625.2495 of 61920.0%★☆☆☆☆
202521.6515 of 60615.0%★☆☆☆☆
202420.4493 of 58015.0%★☆☆☆☆
202333.0408 of 56427.7%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202634.1748 of 104028.1%★☆☆☆☆
202535.0731 of 104630.1%★★☆☆☆
202429.5803 of 103622.5%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202634.0800 of 109927.2%★☆☆☆☆
202528.9840 of 109323.1%★☆☆☆☆
202417.0960 of 110112.8%★☆☆☆☆
202324.9889 of 109318.7%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202619.4874 of 97410.3%★☆☆☆☆
202514.8897 of 9737.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20244.2969 of 9791.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202317.5894 of 9849.1%☆☆☆☆☆
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)
African American (2026)53rd percentile+34 vs school
English Language Learner (2026)40th percentile+21 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile+9 vs school
Male (2026)27th percentile+8 vs school
Hispanic (2026)20th percentile~ school
Asian (2026)15th percentile-4 vs school
Female (2026)14th percentile-6 vs school
White (2026)10th percentile-9 vs school
By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?
VA Studies89%+18 vs state
Science63%-6 vs state
Mathematics55%-18 vs state
English Reading53%-18 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about John Adams Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 743 students attended John Adams Elementary.

John Adams Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.4% of Virginia elementary schools.

Students who attend John Adams Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Alexandria City High

Students at John Adams Elementary are 41% Hispanic, 25% African American, 20% White, 11% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

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Latest Virginia data All new data »
2025–26 SOL test scoresNewAug 25, 2026
2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 2026
2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataFeb 10, 2026
2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 6, 2026


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.

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