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Glen Lea Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1100^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Glen Lea Elementary is a pre-K through 5th grade school serving 461 students in Richmond, VA, as part of Henrico County Public Schools. The school serves a high-poverty community, with nearly 89% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Glen Lea is currently ranked 1100 out of 1111 Virginia elementary schools, and its SOL proficiency rates run roughly 30 to 35 points behind the district and state. On average, about 37% of Glen Lea students passed their SOL tests in 2025-26, compared to about 67% for Henrico County Public Schools and 72% for Virginia. Scores have also been unstable, with big swings from year to year rather than steady improvement.

What makes this especially concerning is that nearby schools with nearly identical poverty rates are doing much better. For example, Arthur Ashe Junior Elementary and Harvie Elementary both serve student populations where roughly 89% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — essentially the same as Glen Lea — yet their average proficiency rates are about 57% and 65%, respectively, which are 20 to 30 points higher. Barack Obama Elementary, which serves an even higher-poverty population, also outperforms Glen Lea by a wide margin. This suggests that poverty alone does not explain the results and that school-level factors like attendance and instruction are driving the gap.

One of the biggest red flags is chronic absenteeism. About 28.5% of Glen Lea students were chronically absent in 2024-25, roughly double the Henrico County Public Schools rate of 14.1% and the state rate of 14.8%. By comparison, higher-performing nearby schools like Harvie Elementary (12.5%) and Mechanicsville Elementary (10.9%) have much lower absenteeism. Glen Lea also has a higher student-teacher ratio (15.3 to 1) than most of its Henrico peers. The encouraging news is that schools in the same neighborhood with similar students — like Arthur Ashe Junior Elementary, Harvie Elementary, and Barack Obama Elementary — are proving that better outcomes are possible, which gives Glen Lea clear models to learn from.

461

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,071

Per pupil spending ?

88.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3909 Austin Ave
Richmond, VA 23222

(804) 228-2725

District: Henrico County Public Schools

Students who attend Glen Lea Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	L. Douglas Wilder Middle
High:	Henrico High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.0%

Hispanic:

5.4%

White:

2.2%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2016 → 1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (37% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 15% Virginia)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg67%

Virginia avg72%

1,100^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

43^rd of 45Elementary Schools in the Henrico County Public Schools

90^th of 131Henrico 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	1.8	1100 of 1111	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.0	1110 of 1110	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	1034 of 1114	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.0	1071 of 1114	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.0	1095 of 1109	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.3	1097 of 1103	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.0	1065 of 1105	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.8	1084 of 1097	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.9	1029 of 1099	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	10.9	1040 of 1096	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	28.7	885 of 1100	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	38.0	771 of 1110	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	21.3	980 of 1120	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	34.3	883 of 1117	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	45.2	714 of 1117	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	35.1	895 of 1113	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.5	950 of 1082	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	32.2	868 of 1081	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	58.3	465 of 1083	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	38.0	788 of 1071	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	42.1	697 of 1062	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	7.7	572 of 591	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.2	572 of 579	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	512 of 588	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	517 of 579	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	2.7	1090 of 1100	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.3	1093 of 1096	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	973 of 1098	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	1033 of 1100	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	6.8	1016 of 1040	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.4	1041 of 1046	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	929 of 1036	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	2.8	1080 of 1099	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.4	1088 of 1093	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.7	1071 of 1101	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	1059 of 1093	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

English Reading39%-32 vs state

Mathematics36%-38 vs state

Science35%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Glen Lea 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
Glen Lea Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3909 Austin Ave	Richmond	23222	Richmond city	Henrico County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 228-2725	461	30	15.3	88.7%	10 (2.2%)	415 (90.0%)	25 (5.4%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	1.8	1100^th of 1111 public elementary schools	1.0%		1	1110^th of 1110 public elementary schools	0.0%	10	27.1	39.5	40.0	34.6	27.9	47.7	40.7		$11,071	$1,602	$9,469
Harold Macon Ratcliffe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2901 Thalen St	Richmond	23223	Richmond city	Henrico County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 343-6535	417	32	13.1	89.7%	2 (0.5%)	375 (89.9%)	25 (6.0%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	4.6	1078^th of 1111 public elementary schools	3.0%		2.5	1096^th of 1110 public elementary schools	1.3%	18	36.5	37.3	45.6	43.9	47.6	42.4	49.1		$12,516	$1,506	$11,010
Harvie Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3401 Harvie Road	Richmond	23223	Richmond city	Henrico County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 343-7010	497	37	13.4	89.1%	6 (1.2%)	440 (88.5%)	15 (3.0%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.2%)	36.3	772^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	30.5%		40.5	715^th of 1110 public elementary schools	35.6%	57	65.2	57.1	75.4	73.9	56.1	63.5	66.7		$10,860	$1,229	$9,631
Overby-Sheppard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2300 1st Ave	Richmond	23222	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 329-2515	256	23	11.2	97.3%	5 (2.0%)	223 (87.1%)	15 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.7%)	14.6	992^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	10.7%		21	917^th of 1110 public elementary schools	17.4%	75	29.7	45.1	72.2	50.0	24.3	61.5	52.8	55.8	$13,523	$1,629	$11,894
Laburnum Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 Meriwether Ave	Richmond	23222	Richmond city	Henrico County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 228-2720	466	36	12.9	89.3%	17 (3.6%)	382 (82.0%)	42 (9.0%)	15 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	0.8	1110^th of 1111 public elementary schools	0.1%		2	1100^th of 1110 public elementary schools	0.9%	10	25.0	37.7	27.8	26.4	29.6	41.6	38.0		$11,159	$1,410	$9,749
Barack Obama Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3101 Fendall Ave	Richmond	23222	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-4879	274	23	12.1	100.4%	49 (17.9%)	200 (73.0%)	9 (3.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.1%)	28.2	864^th of 1111 public elementary schools	22.2%		16.5	966^th of 1110 public elementary schools	13.0%	102	57.1	59.5	54.2	47.9	69.4	73.8	62.5	64.3	$13,214	$942	$12,273
Fairfield Court Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2510 Phaup St	Richmond	23223	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-4639	222	19	11.9	99.5%	2 (0.9%)	196 (88.3%)	14 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.1%)	5.2	1066^th of 1111 public elementary schools	4.1%		14.3	987^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.1%	79	37.5	62.5	43.3	30.0	28.1	43.8	43.3	40.6	$18,447	$1,452	$16,995
Arthur Ashe Junior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 Cedar Fork Road	Richmond	23223	Richmond city	Henrico County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 343-6550	425	36	11.8	89.2%	6 (1.4%)	352 (82.8%)	49 (11.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.3%)	19.4	951^st of 1111 public elementary schools	14.4%		34.1	782^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	29.5%	169	54.0	64.5	61.3	53.2	41.3	57.4	66.1		$11,438	$1,078	$10,360
Woodville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 N 28th St	Richmond	23223	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-4821	217	21	10.5	98.6%	5 (2.3%)	193 (88.9%)	10 (4.6%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.8%)	1.4	1103^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	0.7%		1	1108^th of 1110 public elementary schools	0.2%	5	37.8	27.8	32.1	42.9	37.8	38.9	33.3	16.7	$18,722	$2,375	$16,348
Mechanicsville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7425 Mechanicsville Elementary	Mechanicsville	23111	Hanover County	Hanover County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 723-3640	572	45	12.7	100.9%	322 (56.3%)	89 (15.6%)	61 (10.7%)	31 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (11.9%)	48.1	631^st of 1111 public elementary schools	43.2%		55.7	534^th of 1110 public elementary schools	51.9%	97	72.0	83.7	81.0	64.2	54.9	74.5	65.7	67.4	$12,199	$1,347	$10,852

Frequently Asked Questions about Glen Lea Elementary

Is Glen Lea Elementary a good school?

Glen Lea Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.0% of Virginia elementary schools.

How many students attend Glen Lea Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 461 students attended Glen Lea Elementary.

What district is Glen Lea Elementary in?

Henrico County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Glen Lea Elementary?

Students at Glen Lea Elementary are 90% African American, 5% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Glen Lea Elementary attend?

Students who attend Glen Lea Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : L. Douglas Wilder Middle
High : Henrico 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.