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Lafayette Elementary

Public Grades K-5

1056^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Lafayette Elementary is a K–5 school in Fredericksburg, VA, serving 812 students as part of Fredericksburg City Public Schools. The school serves a very high-poverty population, with nearly 91% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and faces significant challenges with chronic absenteeism at 21.6%, well above the state average.

Academically, Lafayette currently ranks in the 5th percentile statewide, making it the lowest-performing elementary school among its nearby peers. On 2025–26 SOL tests, proficiency rates ranged from 32.9% in 4th-grade math to 56.1% in 4th-grade reading, averaging roughly 45.8% across all tests. This places it below Hugh Mercer Elementary, a same-district school with nearly identical demographics (90.3% poverty) that outperforms Lafayette by about six percentage points on average. It also trails schools in Spotsylvania County Public Schools and Stafford County Public Schools by wide margins. Notably, Lafayette spends more per student ($13,267) than any other school in the comparison group, yet this higher spending has not translated into better outcomes.

The 2025–26 school year marked a sharp reversal, as Lafayette fell below district averages in every subject after two years of scoring above them. The most dramatic drop was in 4th-grade math, falling from 50.8% proficiency to 32.9%. No demographic subgroup is performing well, with all groups ranking in the bottom 1st to 6th percentiles statewide. While chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically since the pandemic (from 76.7% in 2020–21), attendance remains the clearest lever for improvement. If Lafayette could reduce its chronic absenteeism to the level of Battlefield Elementary (10.6%), students would gain significantly more instructional time.

812

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,267

Per pupil spending ?

90.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3 Learning Lane
Fredericksburg, VA 22401-3951

(540) 372-1135

District: Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Students who attend Lafayette Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Walker-Grant Middle
High:	James Monroe High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

28.6%

White:

25.4%

Hispanic:

23.8%

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Compare Lafayette Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 11th percentile in 2016 → 5th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (46% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg53%

Virginia avg72%

1,056^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 11% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Fredericksburg City Public Schools

127^th of 131Fredericksburg 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	6.5	1056 of 1111	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.2	980 of 1110	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	917 of 1114	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	996 of 1114	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	971 of 1109	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.0	835 of 1103	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.5	1060 of 1105	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	1028 of 1097	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	19.2	983 of 1099	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.4	970 of 1096	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.8	826 of 1100	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.0	822 of 1110	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	27.7	908 of 1120	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.8	970 of 1117	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	15.5	1068 of 1117	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	18.7	1046 of 1113	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	36.3	843 of 1082	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.2	998 of 1081	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	16.0	1021 of 1083	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.5	1061 of 1071	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	12.2	557 of 591	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	25.3	485 of 579	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.3	409 of 588	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.5	495 of 579	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	7.6	241 of 249	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.5	216 of 238	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.5	225 of 230	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	7.3	313 of 315	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	27.2	253 of 326	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.3	212 of 306	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.9	245 of 300	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	8.4	1038 of 1100	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.0	993 of 1096	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	961 of 1098	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	1027 of 1100	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	11.8	586 of 619	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	579 of 606	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.3	471 of 580	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	521 of 564	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	7.6	1011 of 1040	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.3	975 of 1046	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	831 of 1036	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	5.9	1057 of 1099	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.3	943 of 1093	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	838 of 1101	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	956 of 1093	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	4.1	268 of 271	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	6.0	958 of 974	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.5	821 of 973	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	818 of 979	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	907 of 984	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)6th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)3rd percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile~ school

White (2026)2nd percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)1st percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies51%-20 vs state

English Reading49%-23 vs state

Science46%-22 vs state

Mathematics41%-32 vs state

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Schools Near Lafayette 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
Lafayette Elementary	Public	K-5	3 Learning Lane	Fredericksburg	22401	Fredericksburg city	Fredericksburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 372-1135	812	54	15.0	90.8%	206 (25.4%)	232 (28.6%)	193 (23.8%)	102 (12.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	76 (9.4%)	6.5	1056^th of 1111 public elementary schools	5.0%		15.2	980^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.7%	76	42.7	32.9	47.6	46.3	37.8	56.1	51.9	50.9	$13,267	$2,236	$11,031
Gladys West Elementary	Public	K-5	1 Learning Lane	Fredericksburg	22401	Fredericksburg city	Fredericksburg City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(540) 372-1140	0																		(n/a)	52.0	55.4	72.2	56.7	53.2	64.4	71.1	59.1
Spotswood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Lorraine Avenue	Fredericksburg	22408	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 898-1514	526	35	15.0	65.4%	140 (26.6%)	120 (22.8%)	164 (31.2%)	40 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (11.8%)	26.8	878^th of 1111 public elementary schools	21.0%		41.8	700^th of 1110 public elementary schools	36.9%	178	61.5	59.3	69.4	62.2	44.2	55.0	62.9	73.5	$9,002	$743	$8,259
Hugh Mercer Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 Cowan Blvd	Fredericksburg	22401	Fredericksburg city	Fredericksburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 372-1115	859	54	15.8	90.3%	180 (21.0%)	260 (30.3%)	223 (26.0%)	129 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	63 (7.3%)	11.6	1016^th of 1111 public elementary schools	8.6%		5.5	1070^th of 1110 public elementary schools	3.6%	54	44.6	52.5	58.8	55.0	39.1	52.5	55.7	53.9	$12,445	$2,223	$10,222
Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4501 Jackson Rd	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 786-8218	573	42	13.6	64.9%	139 (24.3%)	146 (25.5%)	216 (37.7%)	20 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	49 (8.6%)	27.4	873^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	21.4%		28.6	842^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	24.1%	31	57.1	58.6	79.8	66.3	44.1	58.6	70.8	46.3	$9,880	$1,114	$8,765
Battlefield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11108 Leavells Road	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 786-4532	665	40	16.6	73.4%	218 (32.8%)	106 (15.9%)	255 (38.3%)	31 (4.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.0%)	57.2	519^th of 1111 public elementary schools	53.3%		40.1	721^st of 1110 public elementary schools	35.0%	202	79.0	86.0	84.2	73.7	60.7	66.7	75.8	71.6	$8,445	$628	$7,817
Harrison Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6230 Harrison Road	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 548-4864	732	53	13.8	72.8%	217 (29.6%)	120 (16.4%)	315 (43.0%)	23 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.5%)	14.3	994^th of 1111 public elementary schools	10.5%		17.5	955^th of 1110 public elementary schools	14.0%	39	58.0	68.1	44.4	46.3	45.5	61.6	49.1	49.4	$9,593	$1,277	$8,316
Ferry Farm Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20 Pendleton Rd	Fredericksburg	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 373-7366	555	42	13.2	44.5%	303 (54.6%)	66 (11.9%)	125 (22.5%)	15 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	44 (7.9%)	56	538^th of 1111 public elementary schools	51.6%		54.8	542^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	51.2%	4	75.6	70.6	78.4	71.6	65.9	74.5	77.3	75.8	$13,170	$927	$12,242
Lee Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3600 Lee Hill School Dr	Fredericksburg	22408	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 898-1433	680	41	16.5	66.0%	219 (32.2%)	148 (21.8%)	201 (29.6%)	33 (4.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (11.3%)	41.4	722^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	35.0%		39	728^th of 1110 public elementary schools	34.4%	6	63.4	73.0	82.8	61.6	53.2	72.8	66.7	68.5	$7,838	$237	$7,601
Courthouse Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9911 Courthouse Rd	Spotsylvania	22553	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 891-0400	762	52	14.6	73.2%	293 (38.5%)	165 (21.7%)	197 (25.9%)	24 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (10.8%)	45.7	667^th of 1111 public elementary schools	40.0%		38.6	731^st of 1110 public elementary schools	34.1%	64	59.8	76.5	75.6	64.6	55.6	74.2	70.1	76.6	$8,850	$427	$8,423

Frequently Asked Questions about Lafayette Elementary

What district is Lafayette Elementary in?

Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Is Lafayette Elementary a good school?

Lafayette Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.0% of Virginia elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Lafayette Elementary?

Students at Lafayette Elementary are 29% African American, 25% White, 24% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 9% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Lafayette Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lafayette Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Walker-Grant Middle
High : James Monroe High

How many students attend Lafayette Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 812 students attended Lafayette Elementary.

Rate Lafayette 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.