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Forestdale Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

961^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Forestdale Elementary is a PK–6 school in Springfield, Virginia, serving 537 students as part of Fairfax County Public Schools. The school serves a predominantly low-income population, with 73.9% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite spending more per student than many neighbors ($15,450) and maintaining a favorable student–teacher ratio of 12.4, the school ranks in the bottom tier of Virginia elementary schools with a 1-star rating.

In 2025–2026, Forestdale Elementary ranked 961 out of 1,111 schools statewide (14th percentile), with proficiency rates trailing district and state averages in every grade and subject. For instance, 5th grade math proficiency sits at 43.3% versus 72.4% statewide, and 4th grade reading is 53.2% versus 73.7% statewide. The gap is especially stark when compared to nearby schools. Springfield Estates Elementary, less than a mile away, ranks in the 83rd percentile, while Island Creek Elementary and Hayfield Elementary also perform far higher. Forestdale is part of a cluster of high-poverty schools in the area—alongside Crestwood Elementary, Lynbrook Elementary, and Garfield Elementary—that all rank in the bottom quarter of the state.

There are encouraging signs of progress. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 27.5% in 2021–2022 to 10.2% in 2024–2025, now below both district and state averages. Test scores also improved across nearly every grade and subject compared to the prior year, with 5th grade math jumping from 28.6% to 43.3% proficiency. English language learners are the strongest-performing subgroup relative to similar students statewide, suggesting some targeted supports are working. However, the school's spending advantage over higher-performing neighbors like Springfield Estates has not yet translated into comparable academic outcomes. Sustaining these gains—especially in upper elementary math and reading—will be critical going forward.

537

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,450

Per pupil spending ?

73.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6530 Elder Ave
Springfield, VA 22150

(703) 313-4300

District: Fairfax County Public Schools

Students who attend Forestdale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Key Middle
High:	Lewis High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.0%

White:

20.1%

Asian:

17.3%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Forestdale Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 4th percentile in 2018 → 14th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 14th (2026) from a 4th-percentile low (2018)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (57% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!English Reading scores 16 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg75%

Virginia avg71%

961^st of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

117^th of 137Elementary Schools in the Fairfax County Public Schools

39^th of 131Fairfax 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	18.2	961 of 1111	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.8	1026 of 1110	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	1029 of 1114	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.3	1014 of 1114	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	997 of 1109	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.2	1008 of 1103	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	851 of 1105	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.7	1051 of 1097	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	27.9	912 of 1099	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	38.8	781 of 1096	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.3	946 of 1100	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	25.5	946 of 1110	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	20.0	1004 of 1120	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	15.0	1063 of 1117	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	29.1	953 of 1117	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	50.6	631 of 1113	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	34.4	869 of 1082	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	52.9	564 of 1081	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	37.3	793 of 1083	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	66.7	323 of 1071	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	77.2	171 of 1062	83.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	10.7	233 of 246	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.5	247 of 249	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.3	223 of 230	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	260 of 315	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	252 of 326	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.8	249 of 306	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	238 of 300	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	14.2	992 of 1100	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.2	1041 of 1096	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	1043 of 1098	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	1050 of 1100	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	13.3	578 of 619	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	553 of 606	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	566 of 580	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	500 of 564	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	899 of 1040	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	934 of 1046	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	920 of 1036	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	890 of 1099	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.6	977 of 1093	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	973 of 1101	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	939 of 1093	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	17.5	870 of 973	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	802 of 979	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	886 of 984	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)19th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)17th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile~ school

White (2025)11th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)10th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)7th percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2026)5th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Science57%-12 vs state

Mathematics57%-14 vs state

English Reading56%-16 vs state

3.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, May 30, 2010

Principal and staff is really good and caring. you will always find them smiling and working with kids. But the school has very little after school activities and there are not much focus on education related extra activities like science and maths. Close Quote

Schools Near Forestdale 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)				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 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Forestdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6530 Elder Ave	Springfield	22150	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(703) 313-4300	537	43	12.4	73.9%	108 (20.1%)	60 (11.2%)	247 (46.0%)	93 (17.3%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (4.5%)	18.2	961^st of 1111 public elementary schools	13.5%		9.8	1026^th of 1110 public elementary schools	7.6%	65		64.2	60.0	43.3	47.7	57.1	58.2	53.2	54.2	58.7	$15,450	$1,143	$14,307
Springfield Estates Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6200 Charles Goff Dr	Springfield	22150	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 921-2300	596	48	12.3	40.9%	145 (24.3%)	98 (16.4%)	204 (34.2%)	114 (19.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (5.4%)	81	187^th of 1111 public elementary schools	83.2%		80.5	206^th of 1110 public elementary schools	81.4%	19	563.0	89.3	94.5	73.8	69.6	80.7	82.8	89.1	84.3	86.3	$11,977	$352	$11,625
Garfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	7101 Old Keene Mill Rd	Springfield	22150	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(703) 923-2900	315	25	12.5	79.4%	53 (16.8%)	19 (6.0%)	135 (42.9%)	100 (31.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.9%)	27.1	874^th of 1111 public elementary schools	21.3%		27.2	859^th of 1110 public elementary schools	22.6%	15		51.1	57.8	59.3	54.6	66.7	61.7	57.8	70.5	65.7	$16,197	$1,753	$14,445
Lane Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	7137 Beulah St	Alexandria	22315	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 924-7700	716	52	13.7	26.1%	270 (37.7%)	147 (20.5%)	150 (20.9%)	73 (10.2%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (10.1%)	56.6	532^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	52.1%		48.9	615^th of 1110 public elementary schools	44.6%	83		84.6	74.1	57.1	56.9	71.0	77.5	78.6	78.8	71.2	$10,838	$253	$10,585
Franconia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6301 Beulah St	Alexandria	22310	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 822-2200	492	38	12.9	30.9%	200 (40.7%)	87 (17.7%)	107 (21.7%)	62 (12.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.9%)	47.9	634^th of 1111 public elementary schools	42.9%		52.4	568^th of 1110 public elementary schools	48.8%	66		72.9	79.4	50.0	69.4	57.1	66.3	79.4	65.1	79.2	$12,395	$303	$12,091
Lynbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	5801 Backlick Rd	Springfield	22150	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(703) 866-2940	595	48	12.3	93.4%	26 (4.4%)	9 (1.5%)	511 (85.9%)	46 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	7.7	1048^th of 1111 public elementary schools	5.7%		3.4	1085^th of 1110 public elementary schools	2.3%	37		36.0	21.9	31.8	68.2	29.9	36.0	42.5	28.4	57.6	$15,399	$1,369	$14,030
Crestwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6010 Hanover Ave	Springfield	22150	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(703) 923-5400	582	42	13.7	76.1%	52 (8.9%)	13 (2.2%)	428 (73.5%)	78 (13.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.5%)	10.4	1027^th of 1111 public elementary schools	7.6%		6.9	1056^th of 1110 public elementary schools	4.9%	29		54.2	45.7	47.6	32.7	43.4	52.8	48.2	64.7	58.7	$13,630	$1,227	$12,404
Bren Mar Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6344 Beryl Rd	Alexandria	22312	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(703) 914-7200	490	40	12.3	70.2%	100 (20.4%)	92 (18.8%)	213 (43.5%)	62 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	20 (4.1%)	39.4	742^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	33.2%		33.8	789^th of 1110 public elementary schools	28.9%	47		62.5	73.9	68.1		71.0	58.7	72.3	62.3		$14,441	$1,373	$13,067
Island Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	7855 Morning View Ln	Alexandria	22315	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(571) 642-6300	686	49	13.9	14.1%	288 (42.0%)	115 (16.8%)	112 (16.3%)	82 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	86 (12.5%)	79.3	211^th of 1111 public elementary schools	81.0%		75.4	281^st of 1110 public elementary schools	74.7%	70		86.5	83.2	78.7	78.2	75.3	83.7	85.3	87.5	95.1	$11,936	$306	$11,629
Hayfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	7633 Telegraph Rd	Alexandria	22315	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 924-4500	600	37	16.3	20.0%	282 (47.0%)	89 (14.8%)	103 (17.2%)	54 (9.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (11.7%)	73.9	294^th of 1111 public elementary schools	73.5%		74.1	298^th of 1110 public elementary schools	73.2%	4		88.5	86.3	66.7	83.0	75.6	80.0	84.2	77.9	86.4	$11,401	$303	$11,099

Frequently Asked Questions about Forestdale Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Forestdale Elementary?

Students at Forestdale Elementary are 46% Hispanic, 20% White, 17% Asian, 11% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Forestdale Elementary attend?

Students who attend Forestdale Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Key Middle
High : Lewis High

Is Forestdale Elementary a good school?

Forestdale Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.5% of Virginia elementary schools.

How many students attend Forestdale Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 537 students attended Forestdale Elementary.

What district is Forestdale Elementary in?

Fairfax County Public Schools

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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.