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Buchanan Elementary

Q: Is Buchanan Elementary a good school?

Buchanan Elementary ranks 466 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

466^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Buchanan Elementary is a PK–5 school in Buchanan, Virginia, serving 276 students as part of Botetourt County Public Schools, a district ranked 7th out of 131 in Virginia. The school's own standing has shifted noticeably in recent years: it ranked in the 83rd percentile statewide in 2023–2024, but by 2025–2026 it had settled into the 58th percentile. That decline puts Buchanan below most of its district peers, but the full picture includes some important context.

The most significant change at Buchanan has been its student population. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch jumped from about 47% in 2023–2024 to nearly 70% in 2024–2025, placing Buchanan and Eagle Rock Elementary as the highest-poverty elementary schools in the district. Rapid shifts like this often bring temporary dips in test scores even when instruction stays consistent. Attendance remains a bright spot: chronic absenteeism was just 8.5% in 2024–2025, well below the state average of 14.8%, and the student-teacher ratio is a favorable 12.2.

Comparisons to nearby schools help put Buchanan's results in perspective. Within its own district, it now trails schools like Colonial Elementary and Troutville Elementary, with 3rd and 5th grade math and reading scores below district norms. Yet against similar high-poverty schools in neighboring counties, Buchanan is a standout: 4th grade reading proficiency was 86.8%, compared to 56.4% at Bedford Elementary, 60.6% at Natural Bridge Elementary, and 74.5% at Montvale Elementary. Math tells the same story. Buchanan's 4th grade results actually match its district average, suggesting the school's foundation remains solid. Rather than a failing school, Buchanan appears to be adapting to significant demographic change while still delivering strong results for many students.

276

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,126

Per pupil spending ?

69.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

255 Schoolhouse Rd
Buchanan, VA 24066

(540) 254-2084

District: Botetourt County Public Schools

Students who attend Buchanan Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Central Academy Middle
High:	James River High

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.3%

Two or more races:

5.8%

Hispanic:

2.5%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Buchanan Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Virginia median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2016

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

!Near the bottom of Botetourt County Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school76%

District avg85%

Virginia avg72%

466^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 29% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Botetourt County Public Schools

7^th of 131Botetourt 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	60.9	466 of 1111	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.7	378 of 1110	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	81.2	194 of 1114	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.4	262 of 1114	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	85.1	132 of 1109	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	78.7	226 of 1103	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	74.7	248 of 1105	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	66.1	375 of 1097	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.0	532 of 1099	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	69.1	322 of 1096	70.6%	★★★★☆
2015	78.0	173 of 1100	84.3%	★★★★☆
2014	75.0	222 of 1110	80.0%	★★★★☆
2013	75.0	229 of 1120	79.6%	★★★★☆
2012	72.5	242 of 1117	78.3%	★★★★☆
2011	72.4	234 of 1117	79.1%	★★★★☆
2010	77.9	129 of 1113	88.4%	★★★★☆
2009	76.5	162 of 1082	85.0%	★★★★☆
2008	69.4	282 of 1081	73.9%	★★★★☆
2007	76.5	165 of 1083	84.8%	★★★★☆
2006	83.4	65 of 1071	93.9%	★★★★★
2005	63.1	386 of 1062	63.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	53.8	550 of 1100	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.7	409 of 1096	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	81.0	169 of 1098	84.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.4	308 of 1100	72.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	54.8	489 of 1040	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.6	408 of 1046	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.9	113 of 1036	89.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	65.5	383 of 1099	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.4	341 of 1093	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.4	232 of 1101	78.9%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	234 of 1093	78.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	690 of 974	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	48.0	575 of 973	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.8	355 of 979	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	484 of 984	50.8%	★★★☆☆

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)65th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)53rd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)50th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)29th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies87%+17 vs state

English Reading78%+6 vs state

Mathematics74%~ state avg

Science67%~ state avg

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, September 8, 2022

Buchanan Elementary School is filled with supportive teachers who want nothing but the best for each child. They truly go "above and beyond" to meet the needs of every student. Everyone is always there to answer questions and address concerns. I can't say enough great things about this school! Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Teachers yell at students, our son is in the 4Th grade and he has had 3 teachers that liked to yell at and try to humiliate the kids in front of the class. We have discussed this with the principle(along with other parents) to no avail.The principle denies that this is going on but one of the teachers admitted to me and my wife during a parent teacher meeting that she had a problem with yelling and is trying to work on it.We were told by a substitute teacher that she could hear one of the teachers all the way to her class.I have spoke with people at the school superintendents office for the second time just recently, waiting to see what will be done, nothing the first time.Hopefully this will get some serious attention. Who wants their child to dread going to school for fear of being humiliated.This school seems to thrive on this type of treatment.They give silent lunch for the smallest infraction, which is lunch taken separate from but where the other students can see the student that is having silent lunch.I Would not recommend sending your child here if at all possible.We were also called into a meeting and told that our sons size was intimidating to some of his classmates.If that is not discrimination then I don't know what is .What are you supposed to do about a child's structural size.Our daughter attended private school and we never experienced a teacher who exhibited these types of unacceptable behaviors, why should the taxpayers of Va.have to contend with this? Close Quote

Schools Near Buchanan 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 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 Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Buchanan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	255 Schoolhouse Rd	Buchanan	24066	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 254-2084	276	23	12.2	69.9%	252 (91.3%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.8%)	60.9	466^th of 1111 public elementary schools	58.1%		67.7	378^th of 1110 public elementary schools	65.9%	88	64.9	83.3	68.9	66.7	73.0	86.8	71.1	87.0	$11,126	$1,637	$9,490
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
Troutville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12 Barron Dr	Troutville	24175	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 992-1871	247	21	11.9	33.2%	214 (86.6%)	3 (1.2%)	12 (4.9%)	5 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.3%)	84.7	130^th of 1111 public elementary schools	88.3%		84	145^th of 1110 public elementary schools	86.9%	15	92.5	96.8	80.0	72.5	92.5	93.6	90.0	100.0	$11,254	$616	$10,638
Montvale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	One Little Patriot Dr	Montvale	24122	Bedford County	Bedford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 947-2241	252	16	15.3	102.4%	226 (89.7%)	6 (2.4%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.2%)	55.2	555^th of 1111 public elementary schools	50.0%		41.6	703^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	36.7%	148	81.1	74.5	66.7	66.7	75.7	74.5	64.3	85.1	$9,847	$818	$9,028
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
Colonial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	142 Murray Drive	Troutville	24175	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 977-6773	439	33	13.3	36.0%	376 (85.6%)	8 (1.8%)	24 (5.5%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.7%)	91.6	24^th of 1111 public elementary schools	97.8%		88.2	74^th of 1110 public elementary schools	93.3%	50	94.4	91.2	98.6	91.6	93.1	92.4	95.8	90.1	$9,669	$1,058	$8,611
Natural Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	42 Natural Bridge School Rd.	Natural Bridge Station	24579	Rockbridge County	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 291-2292	230	22	10.5	98.3%	178 (77.4%)	8 (3.5%)	15 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (12.6%)	14.1	997^th of 1111 public elementary schools	10.3%		14.4	986^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.2%	11	44.2	60.6	51.7	44.8	39.5	60.6	44.8	69.7	$11,862	$1,771	$10,091
Greenfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	288 Etzler Rd	Troutville	24175	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 992-4416	435	30	14.5	35.9%	316 (72.6%)	10 (2.3%)	81 (18.6%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	19 (4.4%)	71.7	326^th of 1111 public elementary schools	70.7%		72.7	313^th of 1110 public elementary schools	71.8%	13	79.2	86.8	83.3	79.6	68.1	81.9	83.3	82.3	$11,359	$1,112	$10,248
Cloverdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	833 Cougar Drive	Cloverdale	24077	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 992-1086	234	19	12.4	32.9%	197 (84.2%)	6 (2.6%)	11 (4.7%)	5 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (6.0%)	87.1	91^st of 1111 public elementary schools	91.8%		78.9	233^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	79.0%	142	85.7	88.9	92.5	87.5	88.1	91.7	97.5	83.3	$11,850	$1,183	$10,666
Bedford Primary	Public	PK, KG-1	807 College St	Bedford	24523	Bedford County	Bedford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 586-8339	266	20	13.4	103.0%	184 (69.2%)	35 (13.2%)	10 (3.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	35 (13.2%)								(n/a)									$10,636	$1,147	$9,489

Frequently Asked Questions about Buchanan Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Buchanan Elementary?

Students at Buchanan Elementary are 91% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What district is Buchanan Elementary in?

Botetourt County Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Buchanan Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buchanan Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central Academy Middle
High : James River High

Is Buchanan Elementary a good school?

Buchanan Elementary ranks 466^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Buchanan Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 276 students attended Buchanan Elementary.

Rate Buchanan Elementary!

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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.