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Southwestern Elementary

Q: Is Southwestern Elementary a good school?

Southwestern Elementary ranks 431 st of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

431^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Southwestern Elementary is a PK-5 elementary school in Chesapeake, VA, serving 549 students as part of Chesapeake City Public Schools. The school has undergone a remarkable turnaround over the past decade, climbing from the 9th percentile in Virginia's elementary rankings in 2016-2017 to the 61st percentile today — a rise of roughly 52 percentile points. Southwestern has now ranked above the state median for three consecutive years, and its 2025-2026 ranking of 431st out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools places it in solidly upper-middle territory, even though about 74% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, Southwestern is strongest in math and social studies. Third-grade math proficiency reached 81.6% and fourth-grade math 85.5%, both above district and state averages, while fifth-grade Virginia Studies posted an impressive 87.3% proficiency rate, beating the district's 79.7%. Reading is more of a work in progress: third-grade reading jumped from 52.2% to 75.9% proficiency in a single year — now above both district and state — but fourth- and fifth-grade reading still trail the district average. The school also earns high marks for equity: Hispanic students rank in the 95th percentile statewide, African American students in the 82nd, and low-income students in the 80th, all exceeding the school's overall ranking.

Two other trends are worth noting. Chronic absenteeism has been cut from 29.4% to 12.1% in three years, now below the state average of 14.8%. And at 13.5, the student-teacher ratio is lower than at nearby schools like Western Branch Intermediate (17.2) and Deep Creek Elementary (15.8). In the local pecking order, Southwestern now sits ahead of Western Branch Intermediate and Camelot Elementary, and far ahead of nearby Portsmouth schools such as Victory Elementary, Simonsdale Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, and Hodges Manor Elementary. The schools still ahead — Edwin W. Chittum Elementary, G.A. Treakle Elementary, and Deep Creek Elementary — represent the next benchmark as this turnaround school continues its climb.

549

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,513

Per pupil spending ?

74.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

109 Benefit Road
Chesapeake, VA 23322

(757) 465-6310

District: Chesapeake City Public Schools

Students who attend Southwestern Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jolliff Middle
High:	Western Branch High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

69.8%

White:

12.6%

Hispanic:

10.7%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Southwestern Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 36th percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (77% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Virginia median (61st percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school77%

District avg77%

Virginia avg72%

431^st of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 25 pts since 2016

From bottom 36% (2016) to top 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Chesapeake City Public Schools

34^th of 131Chesapeake 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	431 of 1111	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.2	514 of 1110	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.6	515 of 1114	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.4	598 of 1114	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.8	715 of 1109	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.6	777 of 1103	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	867 of 1105	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	929 of 1097	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.6	1003 of 1099	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	45.0	704 of 1096	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.8	827 of 1100	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.9	999 of 1110	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	20.3	1001 of 1120	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	50.1	628 of 1117	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.8	790 of 1117	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	49.2	662 of 1113	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	36.0	847 of 1082	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	41.1	753 of 1081	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	36.9	805 of 1083	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.8	965 of 1071	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	28.7	883 of 1062	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	76.3	107 of 591	81.9%	★★★★☆
2025	68.5	162 of 579	72.0%	★★★★☆
2024	70.0	156 of 588	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	61.9	217 of 579	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	61.1	158 of 420	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.6	193 of 355	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	260 of 324	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	66.0	392 of 1100	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.0	571 of 1096	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.9	603 of 1098	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.5	584 of 1100	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	89.4	33 of 619	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	56.9	252 of 580	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.0	156 of 564	72.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	72.6	204 of 1040	80.4%	★★★★☆
2025	51.2	539 of 1046	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	68.3	285 of 1036	72.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	57.9	492 of 1099	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.2	456 of 1093	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.3	439 of 1101	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.2	608 of 1093	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	62.9	66 of 206	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.3	142 of 192	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.8	155 of 195	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.6	132 of 182	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	353 of 974	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.7	343 of 973	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.7	316 of 979	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.5	267 of 984	72.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)95th percentile+33 vs school

African American (2026)82nd percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile+19 vs school

Military Connected (2026)68th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile+3 vs school

White (2026)64th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2026)62nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)55th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics82%+9 vs state

VA Studies77%+6 vs state

English Reading74%+3 vs state

Science70%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Southwestern 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 (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 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	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southwestern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	109 Benefit Road	Chesapeake	23322	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-6310	549	40	13.5	74.1%	69 (12.6%)	383 (69.8%)	59 (10.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (6.0%)	63.6	431^st of 1111 public elementary schools	61.2%		57.2	514^th of 1110 public elementary schools	53.7%	83	81.6	85.5	78.8		70.4	75.9	73.2	73.4		67.9	87.3	$12,513	$1,518	$10,995
Edwin W. Chittum Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2008 Dock Landing Rd	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 465-6300	762	51	15.0	20.1%	470 (61.7%)	128 (16.8%)	64 (8.4%)	13 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	85 (11.2%)	79.5	208^th of 1111 public elementary schools	81.3%		83	163^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	85.3%	45	89.1	88.6	89.2		81.5	76.2	82.9	83.9		80.5	88.4	$11,476	$1,118	$10,358
Lakeview Elementary	Public	K-6	1300 Horne Ave	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2901	439	32	13.7	—	25 (5.7%)	353 (80.4%)	27 (6.2%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.4%)	13.2	1003^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	9.7%		7	1054^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.0%	51	57.8	33.3	68.3	56.7	47.5	53.3	48.4	48.3	55.0	34.4		$13,468	$2,767	$10,701
Hodges Manor Elementary	Public	K-6	1201 Cherokee Rd	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2921	466	31	15.0	—	68 (14.6%)	315 (67.6%)	39 (8.4%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.3%)	26.7	879^th of 1111 public elementary schools	20.9%		15.6	976^th of 1110 public elementary schools	12.1%	97	50.0	59.4	64.1	69.7	51.6	50.0	62.5	65.6	67.7	60.9		$12,324	$1,687	$10,637
Camelot Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2901 Guenevere Dr	Chesapeake	23323	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 558-5347	491	38	12.9	77.4%	58 (11.8%)	260 (53.0%)	118 (24.0%)	11 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	41 (8.4%)	29.6	847^th of 1111 public elementary schools	23.8%		47.3	635^th of 1110 public elementary schools	42.8%	212	71.3	69.9	70.8		47.2	57.1	64.8	65.7		58.9	50.7	$12,760	$1,300	$11,460
Simonsdale Elementary	Public	K-6	4841 Clifford Street	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2917	613	40	15.3	—	250 (40.8%)	258 (42.1%)	46 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	53 (8.6%)	18.3	959^th of 1111 public elementary schools	13.7%		21.9	902^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	18.7%	57	49.4	57.9	46.6	55.2	64.4	48.2	65.3	57.5	58.2	56.0		$11,329	$2,952	$8,378
Western Branch Intermediate	Public	3-5	4013 Terry Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7941	795	46	17.2	73.7%	306 (38.5%)	286 (36.0%)	78 (9.8%)	33 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	88 (11.1%)	59.8	480^th of 1111 public elementary schools	56.8%		59.2	485^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.3%	5	80.1	79.2	77.4		69.6	75.6	75.5	72.8		71.2	76.2	$10,452	$507	$9,945
Western Branch Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	4122 Terry Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7951	801	48	16.6	73.7%	272 (34.0%)	305 (38.1%)	99 (12.4%)	29 (3.6%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	92 (11.5%)								(n/a)												$9,956	$434	$9,521
Victory Elementary	Public	K-6	2828 Greenwood Drive	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8806	586	37	15.8	—	107 (18.3%)	360 (61.4%)	49 (8.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	63 (10.8%)	27.9	868^th of 1111 public elementary schools	21.9%		17.7	953^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	14.1%	85	73.8	67.9	67.1	52.0	51.3	65.5	63.0	51.9	57.1	58.0		$11,379	$1,826	$9,553
Deep Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2809 Forehand Dr	Chesapeake	23323	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 558-5333	767	48	15.8	73.9%	343 (44.7%)	145 (18.9%)	199 (25.9%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	69 (9.0%)	65.7	402^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	63.8%		71.7	330^th of 1110 public elementary schools	70.3%	72	77.4	81.3	83.5		75.0	71.1	71.8	82.8		78.5	79.1	$10,309	$376	$9,934

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwestern Elementary

What schools do graduates of Southwestern Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southwestern Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jolliff Middle
High : Western Branch High

Is Southwestern Elementary a good school?

Southwestern Elementary ranks 431^st of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Southwestern Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 549 students attended Southwestern Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Southwestern Elementary?

Students at Southwestern Elementary are 70% African American, 13% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What district is Southwestern Elementary in?

Chesapeake City Public Schools

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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.