Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Summary:

Joseph H. Saunders Elementary is a public elementary school in Newport News, Virginia, serving 621 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Newport News City Public Schools district, which is ranked 110 out of 130 districts in Virginia and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Joseph H. Saunders Elementary has a significantly higher percentage of minority students compared to the surrounding schools, with 49.11% African American and 27.38% Hispanic students. The school consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of Virginia elementary schools, with academic performance on state assessments significantly lower than the district and state averages. Additionally, over 89% of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage. The school's per-student spending is also relatively low, ranging from $6,789 to $7,659 over the past few years, which is below the district and state averages.

The performance gap between Joseph H. Saunders Elementary and the surrounding schools, such as Richard T. Yates Elementary, Kiln Creek Elementary, and Deer Park Elementary, has been widening over time. These nearby schools have significantly higher academic performance, with proficiency rates that are 20-30 percentage points higher than Joseph H. Saunders Elementary in many subject areas. The combination of a high-poverty student population, low per-student spending, and the school's low ranking within the Newport News City Public Schools district and the state suggest that Joseph H. Saunders Elementary may be facing significant challenges in providing a high-quality education to its students.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 853 Harpersville Rd
       Newport News, VA  23601


(757) 591-4781

District: Newport News City Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
1015th of 1,114 Virginia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $7,659 Help


Students who attend Joseph H. Saunders Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Homer L. Hines Middle
High:    Warwick High

Student/teacher ratio:  16.1 Help
Number of students:  621

Racial breakdown:

African American:
49.1%
Hispanic:
27.4%
White:
14.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  89.2% Help


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 Compare Joseph H. Saunders Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Joseph H. Saunders Elementary ranks worse than 91.1% of elementary schools in Virginia. It also ranks 18th among 24 ranked elementary schools in the Newport News City Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.04. (See more...)
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Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Joseph H. Saunders Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Newport News City Public Schools District.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary is $7,659. 19 elementary schools in the Newport News City Public Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Joseph H. Saunders Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Joseph H. Saunders Elementary 1015th of 1114 Virginia public elementary schools. (See Joseph H. Saunders Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Newport News City Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Newport News City Public Schools 110th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 74.34 207th 1062 80.5%
2006 61.56 413th 1071 61.4%
2007 67.91 321st 1083 70.4%
2008 77.47 149th 1081 86.2%
2009 74.69 202nd 1082 81.3%
2010 41.64 800th 1113 28.1%
2011 31.13 928th 1117 16.9%
2012 15.52 1056th 1117 5.5%
2013 19.30 1010th 1120 9.8%
2014 18.84 1018th 1110 8.3%
2015 21.56 970th 1100 11.8%
2016 14.32 1024th 1096 6.6%
2017 13.68 1024th 1099 6.8%
2018 8.17 1052nd 1097 4.1%
2019 3.74 1082nd 1105 2.1%
2021 5.31 1060th 1103 3.9%
2022 5.94 1065th 1109 4.0%
2023 7.97 1047th 1114 6.0%
2024 11.04 1015th 1114 8.9%
See the entire list of Virginia Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 26.91 236th 300 21.3%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 18.41 917th 1036 11.5%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 4.71 1072nd 1100 2.5%
2024 8.73 1031st 1098 6.1%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 17.07 960th 1093 12.2%
2024 14.24 989th 1101 10.2%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 11.19 540th 579 6.7%
2024 18.52 530th 588 9.9%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 21.31 476th 564 15.6%
2024 28.26 450th 580 22.4%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 20.90 866th 984 12.0%
2024 30.89 767th 979 21.7%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Joseph H. Saunders Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Virginia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 608 608
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 639 639
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 610 610
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 626 626
1993 351 259 15 11 3 n/a n/a 0 639
1994 336 275 5 7 0 n/a n/a 0 623
1995 276 292 3 14 3 n/a n/a 0 588
1996 276 292 3 14 3 n/a n/a 0 588
1997 260 279 5 21 4 n/a n/a 0 569
1998 218 293 6 16 3 n/a n/a 0 536
1999 238 331 5 12 3 n/a n/a 0 589
2000 203 314 6 14 3 n/a n/a -4 536
2001 163 283 5 15 6 n/a n/a 0 472
2002 174 247 8 17 2 n/a n/a 0 448
2003 174 247 8 17 2 n/a n/a 0 448
2004 187 234 6 15 2 n/a n/a 0 444
2005 174 224 3 22 3 n/a n/a 9 435
2006 183 192 5 27 1 n/a n/a 12 420
2007 231 232 7 58 4 n/a n/a 17 549
2008 232 221 16 42 4 n/a n/a 21 536
2009 214 309 11 41 3 n/a n/a 27 605
2010 199 316 7 64 2 n/a n/a 23 611
2011 201 350 8 86 1 0 24 0 670
2012 207 354 9 87 4 0 40 0 701
2013 193 339 10 96 1 3 39 0 681
2014 167 296 10 112 2 5 30 0 622
2015 179 286 8 143 0 2 48 0 666
2016 170 325 6 125 0 5 53 0 684
2017 180 325 4 144 1 2 52 0 708
2018 152 379 6 155 0 3 52 0 747
2019 127 403 8 176 0 3 60 0 777
2020 131 324 13 179 0 1 63 0 711
2021 94 304 7 170 0 2 57 0 634
2022 80 303 4 170 0 4 45 0 606
2023 89 305 5 170 0 2 50 0 621

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 608 30.6 19.8 n/a
1990 639 34.8 18.3 n/a
1991 610 34.0 17.9 n/a
1992 626 34.6 18.0 n/a
1993 639 35.6 17.9 n/a
1994 623 30.6 n/a 33.4
1995 588 n/a 0.0 34
1996 588 n/a 0.0 34
1997 569 n/a 0.0 33.7
1998 536 n/a 0.0 33.4
1999 589 35.0 16.8 48.2
2000 536 n/a 0.0 48.3
2001 472 35.0 13.5 52.3
2002 448 35.0 12.8 51.8
2003 448 35.0 12.8 51.8
2004 444 41.5 10.7 50.9
2005 435 39.5 11.0 57.3
2006 420 38.0 11.1 50
2007 549 48.6 11.3 50
2008 536 32.6 16.4 50.1
2009 605 33.6 18.0 52.4
2010 611 36.5 16.7 57.8
2011 670 36.0 18.6 59
2012 701 28.0 25.0 61.2
2013 681 34.5 19.7 61.2
2014 622 34.0 18.2 70.1
2015 666 36.0 18.5 71.8
2016 684 36.0 19.0 66.1
2017 708 37.0 19.1 85
2018 747 38.0 19.6 84.5
2019 777 39.0 19.9 83.4
2020 711 41.0 17.3 75.7
2021 634 39.0 16.2 n/a
2022 606 35.5 17.0 88.8
2023 621 38.5 16.1 89.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 608 30.6 19.8 n/a
1990 639 34.8 18.3 n/a
1991 610 34.0 17.9 n/a
1992 626 34.6 18.0 n/a
1993 639 35.6 17.9 n/a
1994 623 30.6 n/a 33.4
1995 588 n/a 0.0 34
1996 588 n/a 0.0 34
1997 569 n/a 0.0 33.7
1998 536 n/a 0.0 33.4
1999 589 35.0 16.8 48.2
2000 536 n/a 0.0 48.3
2001 472 35.0 13.5 52.3
2002 448 35.0 12.8 51.8
2003 448 35.0 12.8 51.8
2004 444 41.5 10.7 50.9
2005 435 39.5 11.0 57.3
2006 420 38.0 11.1 50
2007 549 48.6 11.3 50
2008 536 32.6 16.4 50.1
2009 605 33.6 18.0 52.4
2010 611 36.5 16.7 57.8
2011 670 36.0 18.6 59
2012 701 28.0 25.0 61.2
2013 681 34.5 19.7 61.2
2014 622 34.0 18.2 70.1
2015 666 36.0 18.5 71.8
2016 684 36.0 19.0 66.1
2017 708 37.0 19.1 85
2018 747 38.0 19.6 84.5
2019 777 39.0 19.9 83.4
2020 711 41.0 17.3 75.7
2021 634 39.0 16.2 n/a
2022 606 35.5 17.0 88.8
2023 621 38.5 16.1 89.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $478 (6.6%) $6,767 (93.4%) $7,245
2020 $369 (5.4%) $6,420 (94.6%) $6,789
2021 $449 (5.9%) $7,210 (94.1%) $7,659

Data source: Virginia Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 1082nd of 1105 Elementary schoolsRanks 1047th of 1114 Elementary schools
 3.9%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Joseph H. Saunders Elementary)5638.3
 17.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Newport News City Public Schools)7049.3
 20.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8269.1
 12.9%
3rd Grade English Reading (Joseph H. Saunders Elementary)3940
 1%
   3rd Grade English Reading (Newport News City Public Schools)5649.1
 6.9%
   3rd Grade English Reading (Virginia)7166.1
 4.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Joseph H. Saunders Elementary)5648.4
 7.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Newport News City Public Schools)6948.3
 20.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8369.7
 13.3%
4th Grade English Reading (Joseph H. Saunders Elementary)5252.7
 0.7%
   4th Grade English Reading (Newport News City Public Schools)6055.4
 4.6%
   4th Grade English Reading (Virginia)7572.7
 2.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Joseph H. Saunders Elementary)6030.2
 29.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Newport News City Public Schools)7049
 21%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8167
 14%
5th Grade Science (Joseph H. Saunders Elementary)6437.9
 26.1%
   5th Grade Science (Newport News City Public Schools)7051.3
 18.8%
   5th Grade Science (Virginia)7966
 13%
5th Grade English Reading (Joseph H. Saunders Elementary)5636.8
 19.2%
   5th Grade English Reading (Newport News City Public Schools)6557
 8%
   5th Grade English Reading (Virginia)7871.4
 6.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students777621
 20.1%
African American403305
 24.3%
American Indian00
Asian85
 37.5%
Hispanic176170
 3.4%
Pacific Islander32
 33.3%
White12789
 29.9%
Two or More Races6050
 16.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients83.4%89.2%
 5.8%


Schools Near Joseph H. Saunders Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Joseph H. Saunders Elementary

Students at Joseph H. Saunders Elementary are 49% African American, 27% Hispanic, 14% White, 8% Two or more races.

In the 2022-23 school year, 621 students attended Joseph H. Saunders Elementary.

Joseph H. Saunders Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.9% of Virginia elementary schools.

Students who attend Joseph H. Saunders Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Homer L. Hines Middle
High : Warwick High


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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.





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