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St. Charles Elementary

Q: Is St. Charles Elementary a good school?

St. Charles Elementary ranks 407 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

407^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

St. Charles Elementary is a small, rural school in Saint Charles, Virginia, serving 110 students in Pre-K through 5th grade as part of Lee County Public Schools — and despite a high-poverty population where over 82% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, it ranks in the 63rd percentile statewide, making it a solidly above-average school for 2025–2026.

What really sets St. Charles apart is its effectiveness with low-income students. Its low socioeconomic status subgroup ranks in the 87th percentile this year, after hitting the 96th and 99th percentiles in the prior two years — a remarkable track record. Test scores back this up: the school exceeds both district and state proficiency rates in nearly every subject, including 100% proficiency in 4th grade VA Studies, 92.9% in 4th grade reading, and 85.7% in 4th grade math. The one area below the state average is 5th grade science (59.1% vs. 68.8% statewide), but that still beats the Lee County district average of 47.6%. Chronic absenteeism has also plummeted to just 2.2% in 2024–2025, far below the state’s 14.8% and dramatically improved from 48.6% just a few years earlier.

Compared to nearby schools, St. Charles is the top-performing elementary in its district, outranking Rose Hill Elementary, Flatwoods Elementary, Dryden Elementary, and Elk Knob Elementary on nearly every metric. It also benefits from a strong resource advantage, spending $13,624 per student and maintaining a 9.5-to-1 student-teacher ratio — far better than peers like Union Primary in Wise County Public Schools, which spends just $8,340 per student. While Union Primary posts higher math scores, St. Charles matches or exceeds it in 4th grade reading (92.9% vs. 92.7%) and VA Studies (100% vs. 93.5%), all with a dramatically lower chronic absenteeism rate. For parents, St. Charles offers a proven, well-supported environment that punches well above its weight — particularly for students facing economic challenges.

110

Students ?

9.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,732

Per pupil spending ?

82.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

2434 St. Charles Road
Saint Charles, VA 24282

(276) 383-4531

District: Lee County Public Schools

Students who attend St. Charles Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Elydale Middle
	Jonesville Middle
	Pennington Middle
High:	Lee High
	Thomas Walker High

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.4%

Two or more races:

1.8%

African American:

0.9%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare St. Charles Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2016 → 63rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (79% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Lee County Public Schools

✓Above the Virginia median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school79%

District avg67%

Virginia avg72%

407^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 12% (2016) to top 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 5Elementary Schools in the Lee County Public Schools

63^rd of 131Lee 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	65.4	407 of 1111	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	78.5	239 of 1110	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	84.6	127 of 1114	88.6%	★★★★☆
2023	68.9	354 of 1114	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.7	597 of 1109	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.1	721 of 1103	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	73.4	267 of 1105	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	50.7	616 of 1097	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	75.5	211 of 1099	80.8%	★★★★☆
2016	81.2	135 of 1096	87.7%	★★★★☆
2015	59.1	493 of 1100	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	79.6	153 of 1110	86.2%	★★★★☆
2013	70.1	304 of 1120	72.9%	★★★★☆
2012	76.6	184 of 1117	83.5%	★★★★☆
2011	63.5	392 of 1117	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.0	307 of 1113	72.4%	★★★★☆
2009	75.7	177 of 1082	83.6%	★★★★☆
2008	83.9	48 of 1081	95.6%	★★★★★
2007	84.0	66 of 1083	93.9%	★★★★★
2006	88.1	19 of 1071	98.2%	★★★★★
2005	93.2	1 of 1062	99.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	57.3	501 of 1100	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	77.8	137 of 1040	86.8%	★★★★☆
2025	89.1	45 of 1046	95.7%	★★★★★
2024	95.1	11 of 1036	98.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	43.4	687 of 1099	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	78.4	226 of 1093	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.1	124 of 1101	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	69.1	332 of 1093	69.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	40.8	651 of 974	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.6	429 of 973	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.7	211 of 979	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	53.8	491 of 984	50.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)87th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)54th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2026)37th percentile-26 vs school

White (2026)33rd percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies100%+29 vs state

English Reading83%+12 vs state

Mathematics80%+6 vs state

Science59%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near St. Charles 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
St. Charles Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2434 St. Charles Road	Saint Charles	24282	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 383-4531	110	12	9.5	82.7%	106 (96.4%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	65.4	407^th of 1111 public elementary schools	63.4%		78.5	239^th of 1110 public elementary schools	78.5%	168	76.9	85.7	77.3	59.1	405.0	92.9	77.3	100.0	$17,732	$3,208	$14,524
Elk Knob Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	148 Hornet Loop	Pennington Gap	24277	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 546-1837	291	24	12.2	87.6%	281 (96.6%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	36.6	769^th of 1111 public elementary schools	30.8%		46.5	649^th of 1110 public elementary schools	41.5%	120	77.8	66.7	68.9	40.0	84.4	58.8	62.2	59.6	$10,736	$3,661	$7,075
Dryden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	176 School House Ridge Road	Dryden	24243	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 546-4443	237	21	11.2	86.1%	232 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	37.7	759^th of 1111 public elementary schools	31.7%		44.5	671^st of 1110 public elementary schools	39.5%	88	74.4	62.2	59.5	53.7	74.4	73.0	71.4	50.0	$12,405	$2,695	$9,710
Flatwoods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Flatwoods School Road	Jonesville	24263	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 346-2799	336	24	14.0	84.2%	328 (97.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	40.6	729^th of 1111 public elementary schools	34.4%		50.4	594^th of 1110 public elementary schools	46.5%	135	66.0	72.4	71.7	43.3	63.5	72.4	65.0	79.3	$11,513	$3,098	$8,416
Duffield-Pattonsville Primary	Public	PK, KG-4	663 Duffield-Pattonsville High	Duffield	24244	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 431-2244	308	21	14.8	70.1%	286 (92.9%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	56.5	533^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	52.0%		73.2	306^th of 1110 public elementary schools	72.4%	227	58.3	79.6			66.7	86.4		81.8	$8,554	$1,811	$6,743
Union Primary	Public	PK, KG-4	2945 Second Avenue East	Big Stone Gap	24219	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 523-4900	809	61	13.2	90.1%	721 (89.1%)	29 (3.6%)	11 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (5.8%)	89.7	49^th of 1111 public elementary schools	95.6%		86.7	92^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	91.7%	43	91.7	94.3			83.5	92.7		93.5	$8,152	$808	$7,343
Rose Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	150 Rose Hill Drive	Rose Hill	24281	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 445-4094	256	17	15.0	85.9%	249 (97.3%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	52.4	587^th of 1111 public elementary schools	47.2%		36.6	749^th of 1110 public elementary schools	32.5%	162	76.3	74.4			65.8	74.4		71.1	$11,686	$2,835	$8,851

Frequently Asked Questions about St. Charles Elementary

What district is St. Charles Elementary in?

Lee County Public Schools

Is St. Charles Elementary a good school?

St. Charles Elementary ranks 407^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of St. Charles Elementary?

Students at St. Charles Elementary are 96% White, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of St. Charles Elementary attend?

Students who attend St. Charles Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Elydale Middle
Middle : Jonesville Middle
Middle : Pennington Middle
High : Lee High
High : Thomas Walker High

How many students attend St. Charles Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 110 students attended St. Charles Elementary.

Rate St. Charles Elementary!

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Schools in Saint Charles, VA

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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.