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B.C. Charles Elementary

Q: Is B.C. Charles Elementary a good school?

B.C. Charles Elementary ranks 693 rd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

693^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

B.C. Charles Elementary, a PK-5 school in Newport News, VA, serves 388 students and is part of Newport News City Public Schools. Despite serving a student population where virtually every child qualifies for free or reduced lunch, the school has climbed to the 38th percentile statewide — ranking 693rd out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools — and is now one of the strongest schools in its immediate neighborhood, second only to David A. Dutrow Elementary.

In 2025-2026, B.C. Charles outperformed the district average in every tested subject and grade, and it also beat the combined average of ten nearby elementary schools. The school’s biggest advantages are in 3rd and 4th grade math and reading, where it runs roughly 10 to 16 points above neighboring schools, and in 3rd grade math and reading, it now matches or exceeds the Virginia state average. This marks a sharp turnaround from just a few years ago, when the school sat in the bottom quarter of the state. Growth has been especially strong for low-income students and African American students, both of whom have seen large percentile gains since 2023. Chronic absenteeism has also dropped dramatically, from 27.4% in 2021-2022 to 16.7% in 2024-2025 — better than the district rate of 18.5%.

The main challenge is 5th grade, where scores trail the state average by roughly 7 to 10 points, and there is a noticeable gap between female students (45th percentile) and male students (29th percentile). Still, B.C. Charles achieves these results with a higher student-teacher ratio than most nearby schools and spending slightly above the local average — a sign of strong efficiency. The upward trend is broad-based and consistent, making this school a positive standout in the Newport News area.

388

Students ?

20.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,897

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

701 Menchville Road
Newport News, VA 23602

(757) 886-7750

District: Newport News City Public Schools

Students who attend B.C. Charles Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Ethel M. Gildersleeve Middle
High:	Menchville High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

40.7%

White:

36.3%

Hispanic:

11.3%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare B.C. Charles Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2016 → 38th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Newport News City Public Schools

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg61%

Virginia avg72%

693^rd of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 14 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 24Elementary Schools in the Newport News City Public Schools

105^th of 131Newport News 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	43.7	693 of 1111	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.1	770 of 1110	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.4	872 of 1114	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	911 of 1114	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.2	937 of 1109	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	883 of 1103	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.8	850 of 1105	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	60.6	462 of 1097	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	33.2	848 of 1099	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.8	833 of 1096	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.0	842 of 1100	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.3	817 of 1110	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	21.1	987 of 1120	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.0	927 of 1117	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	39.8	806 of 1117	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	36.2	882 of 1113	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	28.7	933 of 1082	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	42.4	737 of 1081	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.8	490 of 1083	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.6	490 of 1071	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	34.3	819 of 1062	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	382 of 591	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.8	451 of 579	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	504 of 588	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	547 of 579	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	50.4	600 of 1100	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.6	825 of 1096	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	826 of 1098	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.7	886 of 1100	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	612 of 1040	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.5	836 of 1046	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	864 of 1036	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	781 of 1099	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.5	716 of 1093	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.3	897 of 1101	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	920 of 1093	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	38.3	210 of 306	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	14.3	232 of 245	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	351 of 974	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.3	305 of 973	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.3	259 of 979	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	63.5	363 of 984	63.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)64th percentile+26 vs school

Female (2026)45th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile+4 vs school

African American (2026)35th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)31st percentile-6 vs school

Male (2026)29th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics71%~ state avg

English Reading70%~ state avg

VA Studies64%-7 vs state

Science62%-6 vs state

3.4

5 ratings · 3 written reviews

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1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, September 8, 2014

Great school! Great teachers! Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, June 5, 2010

Extremely disappointed with this school. Administration is so hands off with the teachers (in k-2nd) that the teachers I have experience with are either lazy with their dealings with the children-offerering little to no playground (and classroom) supervision-with lots! of mishaps and injuries-no notes home to explain accidents and injuries!!! Instead of gains made at home with spelling and math I am seeing a steady decline in abilities due to major classroom distractions. Little discipline is offered in the classroom-kids run it. I'm sure the scores will tell the rest of the story. So sorry I did not pull my child out in kindergarten. I was expecting great things with the new principal, but have found him to be quite wishy washy and too soft in his dealing with serious issues. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, September 3, 2009

Serious issues with Busing and TAG program. Beginning in 3rd grade TAG Students are separated and given more challenging work environment with little to no diversity. Average classes have large percentage of disadvantaged children and special education children and no interaction with their above average peers. Very disappointed with this school personally. PTA is active. Teachers are good. New Leadership may help Close Quote

Schools Near B.C. 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	Directly certified (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
B.C. Charles Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	701 Menchville Road	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7750	388	19	20.4	99.2%	141 (36.3%)	158 (40.7%)	44 (11.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	39 (10.1%)	43.7	693^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	37.6%		35.1	770^th of 1110 public elementary schools	30.6%	77	75.7	74.3	62.5	62.5	72.5	71.6	65.8	63.5	$11,897	$569	$11,328
Willis A. Jenkins Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	80 Menchville Road	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 881-5400	507	27	18.7	99.4%	88 (17.4%)	274 (54.0%)	97 (19.1%)	12 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	33 (6.5%)	25	893^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	19.6%		12.3	1005^th of 1110 public elementary schools	9.5%	112	67.6	55.3	53.7	68.7	59.2	55.3	65.7	56.5	$9,887	$666	$9,221
T. Ryland Sanford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	480 Colony Road	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 886-7778	498	27	18.4	99.0%	118 (23.7%)	209 (42.0%)	94 (18.9%)	18 (3.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (11.2%)	33.7	806^th of 1111 public elementary schools	27.5%		30.8	818^th of 1110 public elementary schools	26.3%	12	55.8	67.4	60.3	73.1	54.7	74.4	71.8	54.8	$9,098	$295	$8,804
Richard T. Yates Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	73 Maxwell Ln	Newport News	23606	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 881-5450	448	20	22.4	97.8%	178 (39.7%)	170 (37.9%)	43 (9.6%)	9 (2.0%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (9.6%)	35	788^th of 1111 public elementary schools	29.1%		33.6	790^th of 1110 public elementary schools	28.8%	2	71.3	57.8	70.4	67.6	70.0	61.1	68.1	54.4	$10,060	$521	$9,539
Hidenwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	501 Blount Point Rd	Newport News	23606	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 591-4766	476	32	14.8	99.4%	107 (22.5%)	257 (54.0%)	54 (11.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	53 (11.1%)	23.8	909^th of 1111 public elementary schools	18.2%		19.7	930^th of 1110 public elementary schools	16.2%	21	70.7	58.0	62.1	61.5	51.2	60.2	63.6	51.1	$11,828	$913	$10,915
L.F. Palmer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Palmer Lane	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 881-5000	465	26	17.8	98.3%	31 (6.7%)	190 (40.9%)	202 (43.4%)	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.3%)	39.6	739^th of 1111 public elementary schools	33.5%		22.4	897^th of 1110 public elementary schools	19.2%	158	73.5	59.3	69.2	69.2	59.3	62.6	70.1	73.6	$11,728	$463	$11,265
Stoney Run Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	855 Lucas Creek Rd	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 886-7755	453	26	17.4	99.3%	75 (16.6%)	221 (48.8%)	114 (25.2%)	9 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	31 (6.8%)	5.2	1067^th of 1111 public elementary schools	4.0%		9.6	1028^th of 1110 public elementary schools	7.4%	39	51.9	41.0	48.7	42.3	43.2	45.9	46.2	40.7	$12,521	$1,363	$11,159
Knollwood Meadows Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	826 Moyer Rd	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7783	460	23	20.0	99.3%	147 (32.0%)	161 (35.0%)	76 (16.5%)	16 (3.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (12.4%)	30.4	838^th of 1111 public elementary schools	24.6%		35.5	764^th of 1110 public elementary schools	31.2%	74	69.7	56.7	65.5	63.6	60.6	61.2	63.6	63.6	$10,726	$369	$10,357
Kiln Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1501 Kiln Creek Pkwy	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7961	553	26	21.2	99.5%	90 (16.3%)	308 (55.7%)	89 (16.1%)	13 (2.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (9.0%)	32.4	817^th of 1111 public elementary schools	26.5%		38.3	736^th of 1110 public elementary schools	33.7%	81	71.1	58.8	70.6	63.2	60.2	63.9	64.7	61.9	$10,887	$998	$9,890
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 Country Club Road	Newport News	23606	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 591-4740	506	25	20.2	99.0%	141 (27.9%)	230 (45.5%)	79 (15.6%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (9.1%)	9.5	1032^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	7.1%		11	1016^th of 1110 public elementary schools	8.5%	16	44.4	49.3	47.0	45.8	47.2	58.2	58.0	48.5	$9,697	$190	$9,507

Frequently Asked Questions about B.C. Charles Elementary

What schools do graduates of B.C. Charles Elementary attend?

Students who attend B.C. Charles Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ethel M. Gildersleeve Middle
High : Menchville High

What is the racial makeup of B.C. Charles Elementary?

Students at B.C. Charles Elementary are 41% African American, 36% White, 11% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend B.C. Charles Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 388 students attended B.C. Charles Elementary.

What district is B.C. Charles Elementary in?

Newport News City Public Schools

Is B.C. Charles Elementary a good school?

B.C. Charles Elementary ranks 693^rd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate B.C. Charles Elementary!

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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.