Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Virginia Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Virginia Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Jeter-Watson Elementary

Q: Is Jeter-Watson Elementary a good school?

Jeter-Watson Elementary ranks 778 th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

778^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Jeter-Watson Elementary is a public elementary school in Covington, Virginia, serving 502 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools district, which is ranked 87 out of 129 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Jeter-Watson Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Virginia elementary schools, with its student performance on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests generally below the district and state averages, particularly in areas like Mathematics, Science, and English Reading. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 3rd-grade Mathematics proficiency rate was 84.21%, compared to the district's 78.71% and the state's 72.89%. Additionally, Jeter-Watson has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 15.7% to 36.0% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also serves a large proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 84.86% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Sharon Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, and Callaghan Elementary, Jeter-Watson Elementary generally underperforms on key metrics like student performance, chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic status. The school's relatively high student-teacher ratio and lower per-student spending (compared to nearby schools) suggest that it may be facing resource constraints that could be impacting student outcomes.

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 → 30th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (62% vs 71% meeting standards)

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

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg69%

Virginia avg71%

778^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 5 pts since 2023

From bottom 25% (2023) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

87^th of 129Alleghany 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
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
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
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
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
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 (2025)41st percentile+11 vs school

Male (2025)34th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)25th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)11th 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 (2024-2025) ?

English Reading69%~ state avg

Mathematics65%-7 vs state

Science53%-16 vs state

VA Studies40%-28 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Jeter-Watson Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Jeter-Watson Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Jeter-Watson Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)					SOL 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 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 4th 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%)	34.5	778^th of 1110 public elementary schools	29.9%		41.1	716^th of 1114 public elementary schools	35.7%	62	84.2	52.4	60.0			52.9	79.0	61.0	68.6				40.2	$10,103	$1,099	$9,004
Callaghan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4050 Midland Trail	Covington	24426	Alleghany County	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%)	66.6	398^th of 1110 public elementary schools	64.1%		72.4	319^th of 1114 public elementary schools	71.4%	79	65.6	86.8	82.5			77.5	68.8	81.6	72.5				86.8	$8,950	$1,163	$7,787
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Gleason Dr.	Covington	24426	Alleghany County	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%)	33.5	792^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	28.6%		34.3	787^th of 1114 public elementary schools	29.4%	5	71.9	72.9	61.4			57.9	60.9	54.2	66.7				57.6	$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%)	73.5	303^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	72.7%		75	279^th of 1114 public elementary schools	75.0%	24	84.2	86.7	76.9				79.0	92.9	61.5				92.9	$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%)	84.3	139^th of 1110 public elementary schools	87.5%		88.4	64^th of 1114 public elementary schools	94.3%	75	96.6	100.0	100.0			81.5	75.0	87.9	74.1				97.0	$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%)	56.8	520^th of 1110 public elementary schools	53.2%		63.5	444^th of 1114 public elementary schools	60.1%	76	61.1	94.7	80.8	63.6	55.6	69.2	50.0	94.7	73.1	68.2	66.7	64.7	84.2	$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%)	44.5	670^th of 1110 public elementary schools	39.6%		35.5	776^th of 1114 public elementary schools	30.3%	106	83.3	57.6	61.1			47.2	78.4	75.8	61.1				75.8	$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%)	78.5	240^th of 1110 public elementary schools	78.4%		78.4	238^th of 1114 public elementary schools	78.6%	2	78.1	83.8	78.6			82.1	87.5	86.5	85.7				86.5	$13,991	$828	$13,163

Frequently Asked Questions about Jeter-Watson Elementary

Is Jeter-Watson Elementary a good school?

Jeter-Watson Elementary ranks 778^th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star 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.

Rate Jeter-Watson Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

VAVirginia Elementary School Rankings

VAVirginia District Rankings

Schools in Covington, VA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Jeter-Watson Elementary!

Latest Virginia data All new data »

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

2024–25 attendance dataSep 2, 2025

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.