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Galax Elementary

Q: Is Galax Elementary a good school?

Galax Elementary ranks 669 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

669^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Galax Elementary is a PK-5 school in Galax, VA, serving 667 students as part of Galax City Public Schools. It is the largest elementary school in the area—nearly twice the size of Hillsville Elementary and far larger than schools like Fancy Gap Elementary (130 students) or Fairview Elementary (146 students). The school serves an exceptionally high-need population, with 99.7% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25, the highest rate among all comparable schools in the region. In 2025–26, Galax Elementary ranked in the 40th percentile statewide, earning 2 stars, an improvement from the previous year but still below its performance two years earlier.

Academically, the school shows clear strengths and challenges. English Language Learner students at Galax rank in the 75th percentile statewide—a remarkable achievement given the school's overall mid-low performance. However, the school's Disabled Student subgroup ranks in the 13th percentile, one of the lowest in the state. Grade-level data shows that 3rd graders outperformed state averages in both reading (71.6% vs. 67.6%) and math (76.5% vs. 74.0%), but by 5th grade, students fell behind the state in reading (68.5% vs. 72.4%) and science (63.0% vs. 68.8%). This suggests strong early elementary instruction that has not yet translated into consistent upper-grade success.

Compared to nearby schools, Galax Elementary has a higher student-teacher ratio (13.6) than most peers, such as Fancy Gap Elementary (8.2) and Hillsville Elementary (11.6). Per-pupil spending of $9,432 is below several neighboring high-poverty schools like Fries Elementary ($13,383) and Fairview Elementary ($11,444). Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically from 26.0% in 2020–21 to 10.3% in 2024–25—better than the state average of 14.8%—but remains higher than top-performing regional schools like Gladeville Elementary (1.7%). While Galax sits in the middle of its regional peer group, its success with ELL students suggests that strategies working for that group could potentially benefit other students as the school continues to improve.

667

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,432

Per pupil spending ?

99.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 McArthur Street
Galax, VA 24333

(276) 236-6159

District: Galax City Public Schools

Students who attend Galax Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Galax Middle
High:	Galax High

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.1%

Hispanic:

31.5%

Two or more races:

5.1%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Galax Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2016

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

!VA Studies scores 12 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg69%

Virginia avg72%

669^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 17 pts since 2016

From top 43% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

45^th of 131Galax 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	45.6	669 of 1111	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.8	743 of 1110	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.3	596 of 1114	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.5	587 of 1114	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.2	771 of 1109	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.4	588 of 1103	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.0	439 of 1105	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.7	496 of 1097	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	46.9	671 of 1099	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	58.8	474 of 1096	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	71.5	279 of 1100	74.6%	★★★★☆
2014	46.7	650 of 1110	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.0	856 of 1120	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	7.1	1098 of 1117	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	38.7	819 of 1117	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	69.6	280 of 1113	74.8%	★★★★☆
2009	66.0	339 of 1082	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.8	246 of 1081	77.2%	★★★★☆
2007	67.8	324 of 1083	70.1%	★★★★☆
2006	51.0	587 of 1071	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	64.5	362 of 1062	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	364 of 420	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	306 of 355	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.0	265 of 324	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	79 of 315	74.9%	★★★★☆
2025	42.3	189 of 326	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.9	123 of 306	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.4	61 of 300	79.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	659 of 1100	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.5	717 of 1096	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.2	619 of 1098	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.4	591 of 1100	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	400 of 619	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.4	450 of 606	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.3	378 of 580	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.4	382 of 564	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	481 of 1040	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.3	566 of 1046	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.5	436 of 1036	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.0	668 of 1099	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.8	768 of 1093	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	51.8	569 of 1101	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.4	558 of 1093	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	711 of 974	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.9	767 of 973	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.5	635 of 979	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.6	617 of 984	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)75th percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)40th percentile~ school

Male (2026)39th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)35th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile-13 vs school

Disabled (2026)13th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics74%~ state avg

English Reading70%~ state avg

Science63%-6 vs state

VA Studies58%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Galax 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 Civics and Economics (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 Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th 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 English Reading 7th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Galax Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 McArthur Street	Galax	24333	Galax city	Galax City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 236-6159	667	49	13.6	99.7%	394 (59.1%)	26 (3.9%)	210 (31.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.1%)	45.6	669^th of 1111 public elementary schools	39.8%		37.8	743^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	33.1%	74	76.5	73.2	73.9			63.0	71.6	71.3	68.5				58.3	$9,432	$1,760	$7,672
Gladeville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3117 Glendale Rd	Galax	24333	Galax city	Carroll County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 236-5449	259	19	13.9	91.1%	203 (78.4%)	6 (2.3%)	41 (15.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	43	701^st of 1111 public elementary schools	36.9%		46.3	650^th of 1110 public elementary schools	41.4%	51	69.1	80.0	72.7			51.5	54.8	74.3	69.7				74.3	$8,635	$1,078	$7,557
Fries Elementary	Public	PK, KG-7	114 E Main St	Fries	24330	Grayson County	Grayson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 744-7201	231	25	9.0	95.7%	207 (89.6%)	3 (1.3%)	10 (4.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.3%)	40.1	735^th of 1111 public elementary schools	33.8%		59.9	475^th of 1110 public elementary schools	57.2%	260	82.6	76.7	61.9	71.9	66.7	61.9	56.5	60.0	57.1	78.1	71.4	71.4	50.0	$13,383	$2,176	$11,207
Oakland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4930 Pipers Gap Road	Galax	24333	Galax city	Carroll County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 236-3049	196	16	12.2	92.9%	148 (75.5%)	3 (1.5%)	37 (18.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	38.4	751^st of 1111 public elementary schools	32.4%		56.9	517^th of 1110 public elementary schools	53.4%	234	74.2	47.8	53.6			75.0	71.0	56.5	78.6				47.6	$10,431	$899	$9,532
Fairview Elementary	Public	K-5	2323 Fairview Rd	Galax	24333	Galax city	Grayson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 236-2365	146	14	10.5	94.5%	128 (87.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.1%)	67.3	384^th of 1111 public elementary schools	65.4%		84.7	127^th of 1110 public elementary schools	88.6%	257	76.5	88.6	73.7			72.2	64.7	85.7	73.7				80.0	$11,444	$1,926	$9,518
Laurel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	26 Pleasant View Road	Austinville	24312	Wythe County	Carroll County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 728-9247	199	17	11.6	91.5%	186 (93.5%)	4 (2.0%)	5 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	41.8	711^th of 1111 public elementary schools	36.0%		48	627^th of 1110 public elementary schools	43.5%	84	67.9	75.0	67.7			64.7	60.7	62.5	73.5				70.8	$9,187	$719	$8,468
Independence Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	915 E Main St	Independence	24348	Grayson County	Grayson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 773-2722	287	23	12.5	93.0%	224 (78.0%)	12 (4.2%)	37 (12.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.5%)	35.6	781^st of 1111 public elementary schools	29.7%		38.7	730^th of 1110 public elementary schools	34.2%	51	61.1	68.6	70.7			48.8	61.1	74.5	65.9				64.7	$8,651	$1,874	$6,777
Fancy Gap Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	63 Winding Ridge Rd	Fancy Gap	24328	Carroll County	Carroll County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 728-7504	130	16	8.2	94.6%	120 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.6%)	72.7	308^th of 1111 public elementary schools	72.3%		74.5	295^th of 1110 public elementary schools	73.4%	13	94.4	70.0	76.2			71.4	94.4	80.0	85.7				90.0	$10,110	$1,275	$8,835
St. Paul	Public	PK, KG-7	231 Flower Gap Road	Cana	24317	Carroll County	Carroll County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 755-3512	304	28	10.7	94.1%	269 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.3%)	46	660^th of 1111 public elementary schools	40.6%		53.9	556^th of 1110 public elementary schools	49.9%	104	75.0	80.0	76.2	80.0	405.0	64.3	61.1	68.6	66.7	70.0	402.0	443.0	62.9	$9,806	$1,416	$8,390
Jackson Memorial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4424 Fort Chiswell Road	Austinville	24312	Wythe County	Wythe County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 699-0160	229	19	12.0	81.7%	216 (94.3%)	2 (0.9%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.1%)	54.7	560^th of 1111 public elementary schools	49.6%		59.5	481^st of 1110 public elementary schools	56.7%	79	79.5	80.6	74.1			59.3	61.5	77.8	74.1				75.0	$8,679	$1,270	$7,409

Frequently Asked Questions about Galax Elementary

Is Galax Elementary a good school?

Galax Elementary ranks 669^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Galax Elementary?

Students at Galax Elementary are 59% White, 31% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

How many students attend Galax Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 667 students attended Galax Elementary.

What district is Galax Elementary in?

Galax City Public Schools

What schools do graduates of Galax Elementary attend?

Students who attend Galax Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Galax Middle
High : Galax High

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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.