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Waterman Elementary

Q: Is Waterman Elementary a good school?

Waterman Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.2% of Virginia elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Waterman Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 557 students attended Waterman Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Waterman Elementary?

Students at Waterman Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 19% White, 9% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Waterman Elementary attend?

Students who attend Waterman Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Thomas Harrison Middle High : Harrisonburg High

Public Grades K-5

1064^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Waterman Elementary is a K-5 school in Harrisonburg, VA, serving 557 students in the Harrisonburg City Public Schools district, where 87% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school currently ranks 1064th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools, placing it in the bottom 5% statewide and making it the lowest-ranked elementary in its district, below Stone Spring Elementary (1026th), Smithland Elementary (973rd), and other Harrisonburg peers.

Waterman's most significant challenges are in 5th grade math and science, where proficiency rates are dramatically below district and state averages. In 5th grade math, just 29.3% of Waterman students were proficient, compared to 56.8% districtwide and 72.4% statewide — while every other Harrisonburg elementary school scored above 50%. The school's English learner and low-income students are performing near the very bottom of the state, ranking in the 0th and 1st percentiles respectively. Notably, Keister Elementary serves a nearly identical population (85% free/reduced lunch, similar funding) yet posts far stronger results, with 72.8% of 5th graders proficient in math — a sign that improvement is possible with the right strategies.

There are encouraging signs, however. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 21.9% in 2021-2022 to 13.0% in 2024-2025, now better than the district and state averages. Third and 4th grade reading scores improved significantly year over year, and Waterman outperformed the district in 4th grade Virginia Studies (51.3% vs. 46.9%). These bright spots, combined with the success of similar schools in the region like Peak View Elementary, suggest Waterman has a foundation to build on even as it works to address its most urgent academic challenges.

557

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,700

Per pupil spending ?

87.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

451 Chicago Ave
Harrisonburg, VA 22802

(540) 434-8352

District: Harrisonburg City Public Schools

Students who attend Waterman Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thomas Harrison Middle
High:	Harrisonburg High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.7%

White:

18.9%

African American:

8.6%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Waterman Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2016 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (44% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg54%

Virginia avg72%

1,064^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 33 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th 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	5.4	1064 of 1111	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.4	1049 of 1110	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	1025 of 1114	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.7	1073 of 1114	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.1	1054 of 1109	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	939 of 1103	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	881 of 1105	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.8	1006 of 1097	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	42.4	732 of 1099	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.3	684 of 1096	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.5	590 of 1100	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	45.6	666 of 1110	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	21.9	970 of 1120	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	56.2	509 of 1117	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.0	523 of 1117	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.9	432 of 1113	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	3.0	1076 of 1082	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	25.9	945 of 1081	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	34.2	847 of 1083	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	54.0	537 of 1071	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	49.6	581 of 1062	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	6.9	314 of 315	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.8	319 of 326	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	296 of 306	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.3	298 of 300	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	6.5	1060 of 1100	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	988 of 1096	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	1005 of 1098	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.5	1087 of 1100	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	8.0	606 of 619	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.6	577 of 606	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	542 of 580	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.4	563 of 564	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	4.7	1029 of 1040	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.7	953 of 1046	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	970 of 1036	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	5.4	1060 of 1099	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.9	1071 of 1093	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	1038 of 1101	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	995 of 1093	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	17.9	890 of 974	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.0	867 of 973	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	819 of 979	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	809 of 984	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

White (2026)9th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)4th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)1st percentile-3 vs school

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

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies51%-19 vs state

English Reading46%-25 vs state

Mathematics42%-31 vs state

Science39%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Waterman 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
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
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
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
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
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2800 Rawley Pike	Harrisonburg	22801	Harrisonburg city	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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Waterman Elementary

How many students attend Waterman Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 557 students attended Waterman Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Waterman Elementary attend?

Students who attend Waterman Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thomas Harrison Middle
High : Harrisonburg High

Is Waterman Elementary a good school?

Waterman Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.2% of Virginia elementary schools.

What district is Waterman Elementary in?

Harrisonburg City Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Waterman Elementary?

Students at Waterman Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 19% White, 9% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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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.