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Keister Elementary

Q: Is Keister Elementary a good school?

Keister Elementary ranks 816 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

816^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Keister Elementary is a PK-5 school in Harrisonburg, VA, serving 475 students as part of Harrisonburg City Public Schools, a district ranked in the bottom 7% of Virginia districts. The school serves a largely low-income population—85% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—with a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. Keister ranks 816th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools (27th percentile), which looks modest on its own, but it is the highest-ranked elementary school in the district and outperforms all five other Harrisonburg City elementary schools on overall state rank.

Keister's test scores lead the district in nearly every subject and grade. In 5th grade, 72.8% of students are proficient in math (the highest in the district, ahead of Smithland Elementary at 64.7%), 70.4% in science, and 62.5% in reading—each the best among district elementary schools. Keister beats the district average in every tested grade and subject, often by double digits. Attendance is another major strength: chronic absenteeism has fallen from 21.4% to 9.4% over four years, now well below district (14.1%) and state (14.8%) averages. Notably, Keister achieves these results while spending about $9,800 per student, the lowest among Harrisonburg City elementary schools.

Reading is the school's main challenge, especially in 3rd grade, where 48.2% of students are proficient versus nearly 68% statewide. The most urgent area for intervention is the English Language Learner (ELL) subgroup, which ranks in the 2nd percentile statewide. Math and science scores are much closer to state averages, suggesting that language-dependent skills are the core of the reading gap. Keister has shown steady improvement—climbing from the 2nd percentile in 2018-2019 to its current 27th percentile—and closing the ELL reading gap would be the biggest step toward raising its ranking further.

475

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,821

Per pupil spending ?

85.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

100 Maryland Avenue
Harrisonburg, VA 22801

(540) 434-6585

District: Harrisonburg City Public Schools

Students who attend Keister Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thomas Harrison Middle
High:	Harrisonburg High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.6%

White:

35.8%

African American:

9.9%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Keister Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 2nd percentile in 2019 → 27th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 27th (2026) from a 2nd-percentile low (2019)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Harrisonburg City Public Schools

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (64% vs 72% meeting standards)

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

!English Reading scores 15 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg54%

Virginia avg72%

816^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Elementary Schools in the Harrisonburg City Public Schools

122^nd of 131Harrisonburg 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	32.5	816 of 1111	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.4	794 of 1110	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	814 of 1114	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	894 of 1114	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	929 of 1109	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	973 of 1103	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.6	1083 of 1105	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	940 of 1097	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.7	844 of 1099	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	46.5	681 of 1096	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	55.0	561 of 1100	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	56.1	507 of 1110	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.5	454 of 1120	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.9	447 of 1117	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	37.9	836 of 1117	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	65.5	358 of 1113	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	34.5	867 of 1082	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	56.2	506 of 1081	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	26.2	944 of 1083	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	42.2	737 of 1071	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	44.8	660 of 1062	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	10.4	308 of 315	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.0	248 of 326	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	251 of 306	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	283 of 300	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	30.0	833 of 1100	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.1	870 of 1096	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.1	788 of 1098	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	822 of 1100	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	24.4	499 of 619	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.6	508 of 606	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	480 of 580	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	529 of 564	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	826 of 1040	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	947 of 1046	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	921 of 1036	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	786 of 1099	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.2	702 of 1093	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.4	843 of 1101	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	954 of 1093	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	67.7	308 of 974	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.2	263 of 973	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	48.4	579 of 979	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.9	519 of 984	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

White (2026)68th percentile+42 vs school

Male (2026)28th percentile~ school

Female (2026)24th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)19th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)2nd percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Science70%~ state avg

Mathematics68%-5 vs state

VA Studies64%-7 vs state

English Reading57%-15 vs state

2.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, October 19, 2019

You will notice that there are roughly 40 percent Latino students and 40 percent white students at this school. Even with such a high percentage of Latino students, this school has not and currently does not, offer Spanish as a "special"/elective that students can take. To me Spanish, because of the changing ethnicity of Harrisonburg should be offered to students who do not speak Spanish. Also while most teachers and staff are kind, expectations for students are average at best. Close Quote

Schools Near Keister 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
Keister Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Maryland Avenue	Harrisonburg	22801	Harrisonburg city	Harrisonburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 434-6585	475	32	14.8	85.1%	170 (35.8%)	47 (9.9%)	231 (48.6%)	9 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.8%)	32.5	816^th of 1111 public elementary schools	26.6%		33.4	794^th of 1110 public elementary schools	28.5%	22	67.1	63.6	72.8	70.4	48.2	60.0	62.5	63.6	$10,821	$497	$10,323
Spotswood Elementary	Public	K-5	400 Mountain View Drive	Harrisonburg	22801	Harrisonburg city	Harrisonburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 434-3429	468	33	14.1	83.8%	121 (25.9%)	34 (7.3%)	269 (57.5%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.7%)	19.7	947^th of 1111 public elementary schools	14.8%		15.3	978^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.9%	31	62.0	63.8	55.1	52.2	58.6	66.2	47.8	49.3	$12,498	$1,191	$11,308
Waterman Elementary	Public	K-5	451 Chicago Ave	Harrisonburg	22802	Harrisonburg city	Harrisonburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 434-8352	557	38	14.6	87.1%	105 (18.9%)	48 (8.6%)	366 (65.7%)	9 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.0%)	5.4	1064^th of 1111 public elementary schools	4.2%		7.4	1049^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.5%	15	46.5	50.6	29.3	39.0	43.5	51.3	43.8	51.3	$10,700	$782	$9,918
Bluestone Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	750 Garbers Church Road	Harrisonburg	22801	Harrisonburg city	Harrisonburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 432-3232	566	39	14.5	85.0%	186 (32.9%)	69 (12.2%)	263 (46.5%)	17 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.5%)	21	932^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	16.1%		17.9	951^st of 1110 public elementary schools	14.3%	19	75.0	56.0	55.3	67.0	47.1	53.3	58.4	45.5	$10,557	$545	$10,012
Stone Spring Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1575 Peach Grove Ave	Harrisonburg	22801	Harrisonburg city	Harrisonburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 574-1199	554	38	14.7	84.8%	141 (25.5%)	89 (16.1%)	280 (50.5%)	13 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.4%)	10.4	1026^th of 1111 public elementary schools	7.7%		7.6	1047^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.7%	21	54.0	36.4	65.1	58.7	46.7	33.3	45.2	39.2	$10,815	$416	$10,400
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2800 Rawley Pike	Harrisonburg	22801	Rockingham County	Rockingham County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 438-1965	411	30	13.7	63.7%	246 (59.9%)	18 (4.4%)	112 (27.3%)	19 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.6%)	32.1	821^st of 1111 public elementary schools	26.1%		20.3	925^th of 1110 public elementary schools	16.7%	104	48.7	75.9	63.4	60.6	42.7	79.0	60.6	76.6	$11,372	$531	$10,841
Smithland Elementary	Public	K-5	474 Linda Lane	Harrisonburg	22802	Harrisonburg city	Harrisonburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 434-6075	514	39	13.1	—	112 (21.8%)	46 (8.9%)	321 (62.5%)	18 (3.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.1%)	16.9	973^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	12.4%		11.5	1013^th of 1110 public elementary schools	8.7%	40	51.8	58.2	64.7	63.6	40.0	54.6	57.7	37.8	$11,809	$475	$11,334
Pleasant Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	215 Pleasant Valley Rd	Harrisonburg	22801	Harrisonburg city	Rockingham County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 434-4557	282	20	14.1	74.8%	150 (53.2%)	21 (7.4%)	90 (31.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.7%)	32.1	820^th of 1111 public elementary schools	26.2%		21.7	907^th of 1110 public elementary schools	18.3%	87	50.0	60.3	61.7	66.0	57.5	69.0	59.6	85.4	$11,311	$1,305	$10,005
John W. Wayland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	801 North Main St	Bridgewater	22812	Rockingham County	Rockingham County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 828-6081	526	33	15.9	42.4%	378 (71.9%)	12 (2.3%)	98 (18.6%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.1%)	55.7	545^th of 1111 public elementary schools	50.9%		46.2	652^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	41.3%	107	76.5	66.7	85.3	80.3	76.5	72.4	72.1	65.9	$10,102	$771	$9,331
Linville-Edom Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3653 Linville-Edom Rd	Linville	22834	Rockingham County	Rockingham County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 833-6916	209	15	14.1	63.2%	164 (78.5%)	1 (0.5%)	38 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.9%)	33.1	811^th of 1111 public elementary schools	27.0%		32.5	806^th of 1110 public elementary schools	27.4%	5	69.7	64.5	46.9	59.4	60.6	59.4	75.0	71.0	$10,075	$516	$9,559

Frequently Asked Questions about Keister Elementary

Is Keister Elementary a good school?

Keister Elementary ranks 816^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Keister Elementary?

Students at Keister Elementary are 49% Hispanic, 36% White, 10% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Keister Elementary attend?

Students who attend Keister Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thomas Harrison Middle
High : Harrisonburg High

What district is Keister Elementary in?

Harrisonburg City Public Schools

How many students attend Keister Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 475 students attended Keister Elementary.

Rate Keister Elementary!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 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.