Guilford Elementary

Guilford Elementary is a PK–5 school in Sterling, VA, serving 504 students as part of Loudoun County Public Schools. For 2025–2026, it ranks 1,044th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools (6th percentile) and holds a zero-star rating on SchoolDigger, placing it among the lowest-performing schools in an otherwise highly ranked district. Almost all students (99.4%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Chronic absenteeism is 18.5%, above the district (14.1%) and state (14.8%) averages. The school spends $18,499 per student and has a 9.3-to-1 student–teacher ratio, so resources alone have not translated into high achievement.

SOL proficiency rates are far below district averages in every subject. Third-grade reading is 34.48% versus a district average of 75.72%; fourth-grade reading is 37.65% versus 81.5%; and fourth-grade math is 43.02% versus 81.72%. Fifth-grade science is 42.5% versus 76.6%. Some scores improved sharply in 2025–2026—fifth-grade math jumped from 28.41% to 60%—but still trail district averages by 20 to 40 points. Reading is the most urgent concern, especially for English Language Learners, who rank in the 13th percentile statewide. Subgroup rankings are uniformly low; female students rank in the 3rd percentile and male students in the 7th.

Nearby schools with similar poverty levels show that better outcomes are possible. Sterling Elementary, less than a mile away, has 99.3% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility but ranks in the 19th percentile and posts stronger reading scores; its chronic absenteeism is 7.0%, less than half of Guilford’s 18.5%. Forest Grove Elementary also serves a similarly high-poverty population and ranks higher. Even within the same district, Countryside Elementary—with lower poverty (51.4%)—ranks in the 45th percentile. For Guilford, targeted early-literacy intervention, attendance outreach, and stronger family engagement are likely levers for improvement.