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Southside Elementary

Q: Is Southside Elementary a good school?

Southside Elementary ranks 756 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

756^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Southside Elementary is a PK–5 school in Dinwiddie, VA, serving 446 students in a high-poverty area where 93.3% qualify for free/reduced lunch. The school currently ranks 756th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools (32nd percentile, 2 stars), a modest rebound from a 1-star showing the previous year, though it remains well below its pre-pandemic performance when it ranked in the 65th percentile.

One of the most striking patterns is the gap between early and upper grades. In 2025-26, 3rd graders scored above state averages in both reading (75.4% proficient) and math (79.0%), but by 5th grade, proficiency fell to roughly 55–57% in math, reading, and science — about 17–18 points behind the state and district. This suggests real progress with younger students that fades by the time they reach 5th grade. On a positive note, chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically, dropping from 29.7% in 2020-21 to 14.7% in 2024-25, now nearly matching the state average and far better than the Dinwiddie County Public Schools district average of 19.8%. Per-pupil spending has risen to $14,293, which is higher than several neighboring schools, yet outcomes remain average to low.

The most telling comparison is with Midway Elementary, only about 6 miles away in the same district with a nearly identical poverty profile (94.6% free/reduced lunch vs. Southside’s 93.3%). Midway ranks in the 91st percentile with 5 stars, while Southside sits at the 32nd percentile. Midway also spends less per student ($12,460 vs. $14,293) and has lower chronic absenteeism (11.8% vs. 14.7%). Other nearby schools like Dinwiddie Elementary (40th percentile) and Sutherland Elementary (22nd percentile) show similar demographics but widely different outcomes. This makes clear that poverty is not destiny — Southside’s challenge is figuring out how to maintain its lower-grade momentum and learn from Midway’s success under similar conditions.

446

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,826

Per pupil spending ?

93.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

10305 Boydton Plank Rd
Dinwiddie, VA 23841

(804) 469-4480

District: Dinwiddie County Public Schools

Students who attend Southside Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Dinwiddie County Middle
High:	Dinwiddie County High

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.7%

African American:

34.5%

Hispanic:

21.3%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Southside Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2016 → 32nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (65% vs 72% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg71%

Virginia avg72%

756^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Dinwiddie County Public Schools

84^th of 131Dinwiddie 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	37.8	756 of 1111	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.5	881 of 1110	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.2	760 of 1114	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.7	695 of 1114	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.4	601 of 1109	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.6	764 of 1103	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.9	384 of 1105	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	444 of 1097	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.7	482 of 1099	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.7	539 of 1096	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	47.0	679 of 1100	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.2	600 of 1110	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	19.1	1014 of 1120	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	43.8	723 of 1117	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.6	456 of 1117	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	73.8	207 of 1113	81.4%	★★★★☆
2009	70.1	276 of 1082	74.5%	★★★★☆
2008	75.3	184 of 1081	83.0%	★★★★☆
2007	79.2	132 of 1083	87.8%	★★★★☆
2006	79.5	120 of 1071	88.8%	★★★★☆
2005	54.8	508 of 1062	52.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	284 of 591	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.4	343 of 579	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.2	362 of 588	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.5	275 of 579	52.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	33.7	797 of 1100	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.2	815 of 1096	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.8	710 of 1098	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.6	611 of 1100	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	49.8	321 of 619	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.5	414 of 606	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	359 of 580	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	50.1	541 of 1040	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.3	744 of 1046	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.7	663 of 1036	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	40.3	728 of 1099	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.9	899 of 1093	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.9	808 of 1101	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.4	743 of 1093	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	20.3	861 of 974	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.1	914 of 973	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	770 of 979	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	773 of 984	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)52nd percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)48th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)48th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)34th percentile~ school

Female (2026)28th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)12th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies69%~ state avg

English Reading68%-4 vs state

Mathematics66%-7 vs state

Science55%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southside 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 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
Southside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10305 Boydton Plank Rd	Dinwiddie	23841	Dinwiddie County	Dinwiddie County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 469-4480	446	32	13.9	93.3%	159 (35.7%)	154 (34.5%)	95 (21.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (8.1%)	37.8	756^th of 1111 public elementary schools	32.0%		24.5	881^st of 1110 public elementary schools	20.6%	125	79.0	65.6	54.9	54.9	75.4	72.1	56.9	68.9	$14,826	$1,253	$13,573
Sutherland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6000 R. B. Pamplin Drive	Sutherland	23885	Dinwiddie County	Dinwiddie County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 732-4168	548	38	14.4	94.2%	192 (35.0%)	227 (41.4%)	72 (13.1%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (9.7%)	28	867^th of 1111 public elementary schools	22.0%		26.1	872^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	21.4%	5	74.7	53.0	59.5	58.8	66.2	58.8	61.2	61.5	$11,258	$680	$10,578
Dinwiddie Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13811 Boydton Plank Rd	Dinwiddie	23841	Dinwiddie County	Dinwiddie County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 469-4580	341	27	12.6	95.0%	215 (63.0%)	90 (26.4%)	20 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.4%)	45.4	671^st of 1111 public elementary schools	39.6%		54.2	552^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	50.3%	119	62.0	73.2	79.3	69.0	54.0	71.4	77.6	64.3	$15,306	$1,309	$13,998
Midway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5511 Midway Rd	Church Road	23833	Dinwiddie County	Dinwiddie County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(804) 265-4205	352	25	14.0	94.6%	277 (78.7%)	37 (10.5%)	14 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.5%)	86.4	100^th of 1111 public elementary schools	91.0%		79.7	219^th of 1110 public elementary schools	80.3%	119	95.9	100.0	92.5	81.5	91.8	86.8	83.3	84.9	$11,681	$620	$11,061
Pleasants Lane Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Pleasants Lane	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7013	493	39	12.6	93.1%	15 (3.0%)	382 (77.5%)	82 (16.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	10 (2.0%)	1.3	1104^th of 1111 public elementary schools	0.6%		1.5	1103^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	0.6%	1	44.8	29.1	22.1	25.9	34.9	31.8	45.7	32.6	$13,935	$5,280	$8,655
Cool Spring Elementary	Public	K-5	1450 Talley Avenue	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7002	540	37	14.5	94.3%	22 (4.1%)	461 (85.4%)	47 (8.7%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	1	1109^th of 1111 public elementary schools	0.2%		1.3	1105^th of 1110 public elementary schools	0.5%	4	37.2	31.3	35.4	34.4	24.4	37.8	39.6	26.5	$5,536	$971	$4,565
Ettrick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20910 Chesterfield Ave.	South Chesterfield	23803	Petersburg city	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 520-6005	560	43	13.0	75.2%	104 (18.6%)	358 (63.9%)	64 (11.4%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.4%)	60.4	470^th of 1111 public elementary schools	57.7%		49.3	606^th of 1110 public elementary schools	45.4%	136	79.1	79.1	85.9	70.9	70.7	75.9	72.1	70.7	$10,747	$1,139	$9,608
Matoaca Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20300 Halloway Avenue	South Chesterfield	23803	Petersburg city	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 590-3100	676	49	13.6	76.5%	348 (51.5%)	206 (30.5%)	80 (11.8%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.3%)	47.3	648^th of 1111 public elementary schools	41.7%		55.3	539^th of 1110 public elementary schools	51.4%	109	63.8	65.5	82.7	83.6	56.6	69.0	82.7	59.1	$8,924	$438	$8,486
Walnut Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	300 S Boulevard	Petersburg	23805	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7005	574	40	14.3	93.7%	24 (4.2%)	486 (84.7%)	52 (9.1%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	8.3	1041^st of 1111 public elementary schools	6.3%		6.1	1064^th of 1110 public elementary schools	4.1%	23	50.6	43.5	52.3	47.1	51.9	44.0	57.5	36.3	$9,648	$742	$8,906
Lakeview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Taswell Ave	Colonial Heights	23834	Colonial Heights city	Colonial Heights City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 524-3435	422	34	12.4	95.7%	170 (40.3%)	106 (25.1%)	96 (22.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (11.1%)	46.3	655^th of 1111 public elementary schools	41.0%		49	614^th of 1110 public elementary schools	44.7%	41	74.0	74.3	74.7	68.6	59.2	68.9	74.3	62.0	$13,646	$757	$12,889

Frequently Asked Questions about Southside Elementary

Is Southside Elementary a good school?

Southside Elementary ranks 756^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Southside Elementary in?

Dinwiddie County Public Schools

How many students attend Southside Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 446 students attended Southside Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Southside Elementary?

Students at Southside Elementary are 36% White, 35% African American, 21% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Southside Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southside Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Dinwiddie County Middle
High : Dinwiddie County High

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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.