Summary
George Carr Round Elementary is a PK-4 public school in Manassas, VA, serving 512 students and part of Manassas City Public Schools. The school serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, with nearly 89% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch in 2024-25, while per-pupil spending is relatively high at $14,802. Despite this investment, the school’s statewide ranking has dropped dramatically — from the 73rd percentile in 2015-16 to the 4th percentile in 2025-26 (rank 1,071 out of 1,111). It is now the lowest-performing elementary school in its district, falling behind Baldwin Elementary, Richard C. Haydon Elementary, Weems Elementary, and Jennie Dean Elementary — all of which rank in the 11th to 31st percentile.
The academic decline has been sharp and recent. In 2023-24, George Carr Round was actually the highest-ranked elementary in its district, with 4th grade math and VA Studies scores above the state average. By 2025-26, proficiency rates collapsed across every subject: 4th grade math fell from 77% to 44%, 4th grade reading from 69% to 49%, and 4th grade VA Studies from 86% to just 28% — a drop of 57 points in two years. That VA Studies result is far below every nearby school, including West Gate Elementary, and dramatically lower than Haydon (68%), Baldwin (66%), and Weems (61%). In reading and math, George Carr Round now trails all of its Manassas City peers and most Prince William County Public Schools neighbors, except for West Gate by a slim margin.
What makes this especially puzzling is that chronic absenteeism is not a weakness — at 13.5%, it is below the state average (14.8%) and far better than the district’s 20%. Spending is also higher than most surrounding schools, including Victory Elementary and Bennett Elementary, yet outcomes remain far lower. Notably, in 2023-24 African American students at George Carr Round ranked in the 90th percentile statewide — a clear strength at the time. The recent, broad-based collapse across nearly all subjects and subgroups suggests a sudden systemic shift rather than a long-standing pattern, making this a school parents will want to watch closely.
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