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Discovery Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

35^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 97% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Discovery Elementary is a PK–5 elementary school in Arlington, VA, serving 489 students as part of Arlington County Public Schools. The school ranks 35th among 1,111 Virginia elementary schools for 2025-26, placing it in the 97th percentile with a 5-star rating — an impressive standing that follows a strong upward trend from around 100th place a few years ago.

What makes Discovery stand out? Its attendance is exceptional: chronic absenteeism is just 3.6%, far below the state's 14.8%. Academically, the school's biggest strength is in early grades — its 3rd grade math (97.2% proficient) and reading (95.7%) are the highest among neighboring Arlington schools. However, by 4th and 5th grade, several nearby schools pull ahead; for example, Discovery's 4th-grade math (89.7%) is the lowest among six Arlington peers, including Nottingham Elementary, Jamestown Elementary, Tuckahoe Elementary, Glebe Elementary, and Cardinal Elementary — all ranked in the top 20 statewide. This suggests the school's comparative advantage is strongest in early elementary years. Spending is moderate ($12,856 per student) yet outcomes remain strong.

Discovery also shows some uneven subgroup results. Its male students rank 10th statewide, while female students rank 112th — a notable gap. Students with disabilities score near the median, and multiracial student rankings swung sharply, likely due to small cohorts. Virginia Studies is the school's softest subject, with 86.6% proficiency vs. over 98% at Nottingham and Tuckahoe. Science is strong (90% proficient) but slightly below several neighbors. The school sits in a remarkable corridor of elite elementary schools — within two miles are five top-20 Virginia schools, plus Fairfax County Public Schools campuses Haycock Elementary and Kent Gardens Elementary in the top 5. For parents, this means Discovery is an excellent school in an extraordinarily strong educational area.

489

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,449

Per pupil spending ?

4.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

5241 36th Street North
Arlington, VA 22207

(703) 288-2685

District: Arlington County Public Schools

Students who attend Discovery Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Williamsburg Middle
High:	Yorktown High

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.7%

Two or more races:

13.3%

Hispanic:

8.4%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 96th percentile in 2017 → 97th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (93% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of Virginia elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Arlington County Public Schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school93%

District avg79%

Virginia avg72%

35^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 3%▬ steady since 2017

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 25Elementary Schools in the Arlington County Public Schools

26^th of 131Arlington County 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	90.8	35 of 1111	96.8%	★★★★★
2025	93.2	18 of 1110	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	90.0	46 of 1114	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	87.4	82 of 1114	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	86.9	100 of 1109	91.0%	★★★★★
2021	88.2	101 of 1103	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	85.5	77 of 1105	93.0%	★★★★★
2018	87.2	58 of 1097	94.7%	★★★★★
2017	89.2	40 of 1099	96.4%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2023	56.0	162 of 324	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	84.6	112 of 1100	89.8%	★★★★☆
2025	91.0	26 of 1096	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	89.3	40 of 1098	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	87.4	69 of 1100	93.7%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	85.8	49 of 580	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	75.8	113 of 564	80.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	93.3	10 of 1099	99.1%	★★★★★
2025	93.2	13 of 1093	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	88.1	60 of 1101	94.6%	★★★★★
2023	84.6	118 of 1093	89.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	95 of 306	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	92.4	7 of 271	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	78.4	45 of 247	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	82.7	32 of 245	86.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	86.4	42 of 974	95.7%	★★★★★
2025	86.4	44 of 973	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	82.6	88 of 979	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	79.2	123 of 984	87.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2026)99th percentile~ school

White (2026)96th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)92nd percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)90th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)69th percentile-28 vs school

Disabled (2023)50th percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

English Reading94%+23 vs state

Mathematics94%+20 vs state

Science90%+21 vs state

VA Studies87%+16 vs state

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Schools Near Discovery 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 Algebra I (2026)		SOL Mathematics (2026)				SOL Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (2026)				SOL VA Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 Algebra I 5th Grade	SOL Algebra I 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th 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 VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Discovery Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5241 36th Street North	Arlington	22207	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 288-2685	489	39	12.7	4.3%	341 (69.7%)	10 (2.0%)	41 (8.4%)	32 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (13.3%)	90.8	35^th of 1111 public elementary schools	96.8%		93.2	18^th of 1110 public elementary schools	98.4%	17			97.2	89.7	93.8		90.0	95.7	91.0	96.2		86.6	$16,449	$00	$16,449
Nottingham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5900 Little Falls Road	Arlington	22207	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-5290	382	26	14.7	4.7%	258 (67.5%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.4%)	27 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (16.0%)	94.1	8^th of 1111 public elementary schools	99.3%		93.8	10^th of 1110 public elementary schools	99.1%	2			94.7	97.1	98.6		94.3	86.0	98.6	98.6		98.5	$16,015	$00	$16,015
Jamestown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3700 N Delaware St	Arlington	22207	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-5275	456	39	11.8	2.9%	329 (72.1%)	6 (1.3%)	46 (10.1%)	22 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (11.6%)	93	13^th of 1111 public elementary schools	98.8%		92.8	20^th of 1110 public elementary schools	98.2%	7			94.0	96.5	97.3		94.6	91.0	96.5	97.3		89.5	$17,430	$00	$17,430
Chesterbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1753 Kirby Rd	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 714-8200	557	38	14.5	2.5%	338 (60.7%)	9 (1.6%)	61 (11.0%)	85 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (11.5%)	89.8	47^th of 1111 public elementary schools	95.8%		90.1	50^th of 1110 public elementary schools	95.5%	3		550.0	89.6	90.0	85.7	94.6	88.9	91.0	92.6	92.6	96.9		$11,128	$201	$10,927
Tuckahoe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6550 26th St N	Arlington	22213	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-5288	448	27	16.5	3.1%	317 (70.8%)	6 (1.3%)	37 (8.3%)	30 (6.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (12.7%)	92.5	17^th of 1111 public elementary schools	98.5%		93.8	11^th of 1110 public elementary schools	99.0%	6			92.2	94.9	97.1		95.7	89.6	94.9	89.9		98.7	$15,346	$00	$15,346
Haycock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6616 Haycock Rd	Falls Church	22043	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 531-4000	838	49	17.0	4.4%	416 (49.6%)	10 (1.2%)	70 (8.4%)	264 (31.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (9.2%)	95.4	5^th of 1111 public elementary schools	99.5%		95.8	2^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	99.8%	3	≥ 50%	100.0	96.4	96.6	98.7	98.4	96.8	94.5	94.4	98.1	98.8		$10,170	$139	$10,031
Cardinal Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1644 N. McKinley Road	Arlington	22205	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-5280	682	47	14.5	6.7%	496 (72.7%)	17 (2.5%)	72 (10.6%)	27 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (10.3%)	92	20^th of 1111 public elementary schools	98.2%		91.5	29^th of 1110 public elementary schools	97.4%	9			91.4	93.5	97.4		93.2	89.9	93.4	94.8		93.2	$13,722	$00	$13,722
Kent Gardens Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	1717 Melbourne Dr	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 394-5600	918	53	17.1	4.0%	491 (53.5%)	26 (2.8%)	71 (7.7%)	243 (26.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (9.4%)	95.6	4^th of 1111 public elementary schools	99.6%		94.5	7^th of 1110 public elementary schools	99.4%	3		100.0	99.2	97.5	100.0	95.2	97.5	95.2	97.4	95.6	97.5		$10,208	$117	$10,091
Glebe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1770 N. Glebe Road	Arlington	22207	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-6280	574	40	14.3	15.3%	317 (55.2%)	36 (6.3%)	98 (17.1%)	58 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (11.3%)	92.4	18^th of 1111 public elementary schools	98.4%		89.9	52^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	95.3%	34			94.7	96.0	93.1		90.2	92.6	95.9	94.0		93.3	$15,414	$46	$15,368
Taylor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 N Stuart St	Arlington	22207	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-6275	530	42	12.5	9.1%	321 (60.6%)	22 (4.2%)	65 (12.3%)	47 (8.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	73 (13.8%)	85.3	117^th of 1111 public elementary schools	89.5%		83.6	150^th of 1110 public elementary schools	86.5%	33			87.3	90.5	91.9		88.9	82.4	86.8	87.9		86.3	$16,216	$57	$16,159

Frequently Asked Questions about Discovery Elementary

What schools do graduates of Discovery Elementary attend?

Students who attend Discovery Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Williamsburg Middle
High : Yorktown High

How many students attend Discovery Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 489 students attended Discovery Elementary.

What district is Discovery Elementary in?

Arlington County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Discovery Elementary?

Students at Discovery Elementary are 70% White, 13% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 2% African American.

Is Discovery Elementary a good school?

Yes! Discovery Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 35^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools.

Rate Discovery Elementary!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 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.