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Harrington Waddell Elementary

Public Grades K-5

76^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Harrington Waddell Elementary is a K-5 school in Lexington, Virginia, serving 350 students as part of Lexington City Public Schools — the #1 ranked district in Virginia. For the 2025–2026 school year, Harrington Waddell ranked 76th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools (93rd percentile), earning a 5-star rating, and it has earned 5-star ratings in six of the past seven ranked years.

Academically, the school posts SOL proficiency rates that are consistently 15–30 percentage points above state averages across math, reading, science, and Virginia Studies. In 2025–2026, Harrington Waddell achieved 100% proficiency in 5th grade math, 92.5% in 5th grade science, and 96.2% in 5th grade reading. The school far outperforms nearby schools like Central Elementary (just 0.95 miles away, ranked 614th) and Natural Bridge Elementary (997th). Only Sharon Elementary (44th) rivals its performance in the region. The district is ranked #1 in Virginia, while surrounding districts like Rockbridge County Public Schools (71st), Buena Vista City Public Schools (47th), and Alleghany Highlands Public Schools (67th) sit in the middle of the pack.

Harrington Waddell also stands out for its remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 4.3% in 2024–25 — far below the state average of 14.8% — and its relatively low poverty rate, with only 25.4% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, compared to 79–99% at nearby elementary schools. Subgroup performance is also strong: low socio-economic status students ranked in the 94th percentile statewide, and male students ranked in the 95th. The school spends about $9,454 per student with a student-teacher ratio of 14.5, producing superior outcomes at a lower cost than many neighboring schools. While 3rd grade reading dipped to 77.4% in 2025–26 from 96.5% the prior year, overall academic performance remains exceptional.

350

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,454

Per pupil spending ?

25.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Pendleton Place
Lexington, VA 24450

(540) 463-5353

District: Lexington City Public Schools

Students who attend Harrington Waddell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Lylburn Downing Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.0%

Two or more races:

7.1%

African American:

6.3%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 81st percentile in 2016 → 93rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (91% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of Virginia elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school91%

District avg90%

Virginia avg72%

76^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From top 19% (2016) to top 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 131Lexington 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	88.0	76 of 1111	93.2%	★★★★★
2025	91.2	33 of 1110	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	90.1	45 of 1114	96.0%	★★★★★
2023	90.8	44 of 1114	96.1%	★★★★★
2022	92.8	19 of 1109	98.3%	★★★★★
2021	91.0	56 of 1103	94.9%	★★★★★
2019	77.8	203 of 1105	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	75.8	212 of 1097	80.7%	★★★★☆
2017	83.0	107 of 1099	90.3%	★★★★★
2016	75.7	210 of 1096	80.8%	★★★★☆
2015	64.9	387 of 1100	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	61.3	426 of 1110	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	70.5	294 of 1120	73.8%	★★★★☆
2012	70.1	280 of 1117	74.9%	★★★★☆
2011	70.3	266 of 1117	76.2%	★★★★☆
2010	66.8	336 of 1113	69.8%	★★★★☆
2009	75.1	193 of 1082	82.2%	★★★★☆
2008	72.4	235 of 1081	78.3%	★★★★☆
2007	74.3	204 of 1083	81.2%	★★★★☆
2006	72.2	238 of 1071	77.8%	★★★★☆
2005	70.8	254 of 1062	76.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	82.6	146 of 1100	86.7%	★★★★☆
2025	86.7	82 of 1096	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	84.7	109 of 1098	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	85.2	101 of 1100	90.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	86.7	61 of 1040	94.1%	★★★★★
2025	80.9	125 of 1046	88.0%	★★★★☆
2024	75.8	178 of 1036	82.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	89.0	51 of 1099	95.4%	★★★★★
2025	92.3	18 of 1093	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	91.6	24 of 1101	97.8%	★★★★★
2023	91.8	22 of 1093	98.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	81.9	94 of 974	90.3%	★★★★★
2025	84.9	62 of 973	93.6%	★★★★★
2024	87.5	29 of 979	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	89.0	21 of 984	97.9%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2026)95th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)94th percentile~ school

White (2026)90th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)87th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics92%+19 vs state

Science92%+24 vs state

VA Studies91%+20 vs state

English Reading88%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Harrington Waddell 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
Harrington Waddell Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Pendleton Place	Lexington	24450	Lexington city	Lexington City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 463-5353	350	24	14.5	25.4%	266 (76.0%)	22 (6.3%)	21 (6.0%)	16 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.1%)	88	76^th of 1111 public elementary schools	93.2%		91.2	33^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	97.0%	43	88.5	89.1	100.0			92.5	77.4	90.9	96.2				90.6	$9,454	$932	$8,522
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Central Road	Lexington	24450	Lexington city	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 463-4500	466	37	12.6	85.8%	370 (79.4%)	17 (3.6%)	53 (11.4%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)	49.6	614^th of 1111 public elementary schools	44.7%		49.8	601^st of 1110 public elementary schools	45.9%	13	70.9	71.8	84.9			73.6	56.8	67.6	71.7				80.3	$9,262	$1,144	$8,118
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20 Burger Circle	Buena Vista	24416	Buena Vista city	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 261-2418	154	14	10.6	97.4%	136 (88.3%)	4 (2.6%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.5%)	70.7	343^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	69.1%		56.1	532^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	52.1%	189	73.9	94.4	79.0			84.2	56.5	88.9	89.5				94.4	$12,304	$1,272	$11,032
F.W. Kling Junior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	3400 Lombardy Ave	Buena Vista	24416	Buena Vista city	Buena Vista City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 261-6717	177	15	11.8	94.9%	129 (72.9%)	9 (5.1%)	13 (7.3%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	22 (12.4%)								(n/a)														$7,008	$1,785	$5,223
Enderly Heights Elementary	Public	2-5	101 Woodland Ave	Buena Vista	24416	Buena Vista city	Buena Vista City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 261-6151	268	21	12.7	92.2%	213 (79.5%)	7 (2.6%)	21 (7.8%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.5%)	60	476^th of 1111 public elementary schools	57.2%		57.4	511^th of 1110 public elementary schools	54.0%	35	51.6	74.1	88.4			78.3	60.0	84.5	84.1				80.4	$10,062	$1,512	$8,550
Fairfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20 Fairfield School Rd	Fairfield	24435	Rockbridge County	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 348-5202	241	22	11.0	79.7%	203 (84.2%)	5 (2.1%)	15 (6.2%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.8%)	70.5	346^th of 1111 public elementary schools	68.9%		53.3	561^st of 1110 public elementary schools	49.5%	215	87.0	91.2	80.6			63.9	82.6	85.3	66.7				85.3	$13,163	$1,744	$11,419
Natural Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	42 Natural Bridge School Rd.	Natural Bridge Station	24579	Rockbridge County	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 291-2292	230	22	10.5	98.3%	178 (77.4%)	8 (3.5%)	15 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (12.6%)	14.1	997^th of 1111 public elementary schools	10.3%		14.4	986^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.2%	11	44.2	60.6	51.7			44.8	39.5	60.6	44.8				69.7	$11,862	$1,771	$10,091
Millboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-7	411 Church Street	Millboro	24460	Bath County	Bath County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 997-5452	143	8	18.4	98.6%	136 (95.1%)	2 (1.4%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	61.4	459^th of 1111 public elementary schools	58.7%		72.2	321^st of 1110 public elementary schools	71.1%	138	80.0	75.0	87.5	392.0	68.8	87.5	50.0	81.3	81.3	66.7	75.0	68.8	75.0	$14,353	$808	$13,545
Sharon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Sharon School Cir.	Clifton Forge	24422	Alleghany County	Alleghany Highlands Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 863-1712	216	16	13.5	84.3%	188 (87.0%)	13 (6.0%)	4 (1.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	90.2	44^th of 1111 public elementary schools	96.0%		84.3	139^th of 1110 public elementary schools	87.5%	95	97.0	96.4	97.0			87.9	90.6	89.3	84.9				92.9	$11,026	$1,061	$9,965
Big Island Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1114 Schooldays Rd	Big Island	24526	Bedford County	Bedford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 299-5863	182	12	14.9	82.4%	153 (84.1%)	7 (3.8%)	9 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.6%)	56.9	527^th of 1111 public elementary schools	52.6%		51.6	580^th of 1110 public elementary schools	47.7%	53	90.3	79.2	93.3			66.7	61.3	66.7	73.3				70.8	$9,621	$757	$8,865

Frequently Asked Questions about Harrington Waddell Elementary

Is Harrington Waddell Elementary a good school?

Yes. Harrington Waddell Elementary ranks in the top 6.8% of Virginia elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Harrington Waddell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Harrington Waddell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lylburn Downing Middle

How many students attend Harrington Waddell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 350 students attended Harrington Waddell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Harrington Waddell Elementary?

Students at Harrington Waddell Elementary are 76% White, 7% Two or more races, 6% African American, 6% Hispanic, 5% Asian.

What district is Harrington Waddell Elementary in?

Lexington City Public Schools

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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.