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Jeter-Watson Elementary

Q: Is Jeter-Watson Elementary a good school?

Jeter-Watson Elementary ranks 736 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

736^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 34% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Jeter-Watson Elementary is a PK-5 school in Covington, Virginia, serving 491 students — the largest of any nearby elementary school — as part of Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. Academically, the school sits in the lower third of Virginia elementary schools, ranking 736th of 1,111 in 2025-26 (34th percentile), though that is an improvement from its prior two-year rankings. It serves a high-poverty population, with 83.3% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Chronic absenteeism has improved sharply, falling from 43.0% in 2022-23 to 23.3% in 2024-25, but it still remains well above the state rate of 14.8%.

The most striking pattern at Jeter-Watson is the performance drop between 4th and 5th grade. In 2025-26, 4th graders scored 89.29% proficient in math and 82.14% in reading, but 5th graders fell to 54.17% in math and 58.33% in reading. Fifth-grade science proficiency was just 44.9% — roughly half the rate at nearby high-poverty schools like Sharon Elementary (87.9%) and Callaghan Elementary (86.5%). This upper-elementary weakness has persisted for three consecutive years. Meanwhile, per-pupil spending at Jeter-Watson is $10,103, the second-lowest among nearby schools, despite the school serving the largest enrollment — Eagle Rock Elementary spends $15,163 per student by comparison.

There are meaningful bright spots. In 2025-26, Jeter-Watson's economically disadvantaged students ranked in the 85th percentile statewide — the school's strongest subgroup result by far. Within its own district, Jeter-Watson ranks second from the bottom, ahead of only Mountain View Elementary, while Sharon Elementary (96th percentile) and Callaghan Elementary (78th percentile) serve nearly identical poverty rates yet achieve far stronger outcomes, suggesting demographics alone don't tell the full story. For parents, the takeaway is that Jeter-Watson is making real progress on attendance and shows notable strength in supporting low-income learners, but the persistent 5th-grade achievement gap deserves attention as the school continues to improve.

491

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,103

Per pupil spending ?

83.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

560 West Indian Valley Road
Covington, VA 24426

(540) 965-1430

District: Alleghany Highlands Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

74.5%

African American:

10.0%

Two or more races:

8.4%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Jeter-Watson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2023 → 34th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (66% vs 72% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (23% vs 15% Virginia)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school66%

District avg74%

Virginia avg72%

736^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 9 pts since 2023

From bottom 25% (2023) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools

67^th of 131Alleghany Highlands 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	40.1	736 of 1111	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.5	778 of 1110	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.1	716 of 1114	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	834 of 1114	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	40.4	723 of 1100	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.9	820 of 1096	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.3	797 of 1098	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	848 of 1100	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	76.0	160 of 1040	84.6%	★★★★☆
2025	44.0	616 of 1046	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.2	523 of 1036	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	817 of 1099	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.0	722 of 1093	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.7	617 of 1101	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	812 of 1093	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	23.5	826 of 974	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.1	866 of 973	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	878 of 979	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	912 of 984	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)85th percentile+51 vs school

Female (2026)34th percentile~ school

Male (2026)26th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile-19 vs school

Middle school

Female (2023)59th percentile+15 vs school

White (2023)30th percentile-14 vs school

Male (2023)28th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies77%+6 vs state

Mathematics67%-6 vs state

English Reading67%-4 vs state

Science45%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jeter-Watson Elementary

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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 Mathematics (2026)					SOL Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Science 5th 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 Civics and Economics 7th Grade	SOL VA Studies 3rd Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jeter-Watson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	560 West Indian Valley Road	Covington	24426	Covington city	Alleghany Highlands Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(540) 965-1430	491	38	12.9	83.3%	366 (74.5%)	49 (10.0%)	34 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.4%)	40.1	736^th of 1111 public elementary schools	33.8%		34.5	778^th of 1110 public elementary schools	29.9%	42	397.0	89.3	54.2			44.9	389.0	82.1	58.3				87.5	75.0	73.3	$10,103	$1,099	$9,004
Callaghan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4050 Midland Trail	Covington	24426	Covington city	Alleghany Highlands Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 965-1810	270	18	15.0	83.3%	243 (90.0%)	7 (2.6%)	8 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.7%)	77.4	240^th of 1111 public elementary schools	78.4%		66.6	398^th of 1110 public elementary schools	64.1%	158	88.9	81.3	89.2			86.5	80.6	81.3	75.7					84.4		$8,950	$1,163	$7,787
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Gleason Dr.	Covington	24426	Covington city	Alleghany Highlands Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 863-1737	415	38	10.9	82.7%	321 (77.3%)	38 (9.2%)	15 (3.6%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (8.4%)	34.1	800^th of 1111 public elementary schools	28.0%		33.5	792^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	28.6%	8	72.3	72.6	62.7			61.0	64.6	64.5	52.5					62.9		$11,342	$1,655	$9,687
Eagle Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	145 Eagles Nest Dr	Eagle Rock	24085	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 884-2421	121	11	11.2	70.2%	114 (94.2%)	2 (1.7%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.3%)	65.3	408^th of 1111 public elementary schools	63.3%		73.5	303^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	72.7%	105	100.0	77.3	85.7			78.6	88.2	68.2	92.3					59.1		$15,163	$2,203	$12,961
Sharon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Sharon School Cir.	Clifton Forge	24422	Alleghany County	Alleghany Highlands Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 863-1712	216	16	13.5	84.3%	188 (87.0%)	13 (6.0%)	4 (1.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	90.2	44^th of 1111 public elementary schools	96.0%		84.3	139^th of 1110 public elementary schools	87.5%	95	97.0	96.4	97.0			87.9	90.6	89.3	84.9					92.9		$11,026	$1,061	$9,965
Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-7	98 Panther Drive	Hot Springs	24445	Bath County	Bath County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 839-5395	184	9	21.0	100.5%	147 (79.9%)	12 (6.5%)	7 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (9.8%)	71.1	338^th of 1111 public elementary schools	69.6%		56.8	520^th of 1110 public elementary schools	53.2%	182	76.5	82.4	95.0	80.0	70.8	80.0	52.9	76.5	85.0	88.0	75.0	75.0		82.4		$11,881	$976	$10,905
McCleary Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	25345 Craigs Creek Road	New Castle	24127	Craig County	Craig County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 864-5173	229	20	11.4	81.2%	226 (98.7%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43.5	695^th of 1111 public elementary schools	37.4%		44.5	670^th of 1110 public elementary schools	39.6%	25	82.1	80.0	56.3			56.3	60.7	78.4	59.4					69.4		$11,457	$1,157	$10,300
Breckinridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	331 Springwood Rd	Fincastle	24090	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 473-8386	211	18	11.9	36.5%	184 (87.2%)	7 (3.3%)	8 (3.8%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.7%)	67.7	377^th of 1111 public elementary schools	66.1%		78.5	240^th of 1110 public elementary schools	78.4%	137	73.0	79.4	76.3			81.6	75.7	79.4	81.6					82.4		$13,991	$828	$13,163

Frequently Asked Questions about Jeter-Watson Elementary

Is Jeter-Watson Elementary a good school?

Jeter-Watson Elementary ranks 736^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Jeter-Watson Elementary in?

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools

How many students attend Jeter-Watson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 491 students attended Jeter-Watson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Jeter-Watson Elementary?

Students at Jeter-Watson Elementary are 75% White, 10% African American, 8% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

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Schools in Covington, VA

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 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.