Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Virginia rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

L.F. Palmer Elementary

Q: Is L.F. Palmer Elementary a good school?

L.F. Palmer Elementary ranks 739 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

739^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

L.F. Palmer Elementary is a PK-5 school in Newport News, VA, serving 465 students in a very high-poverty community, with 98.3% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, and it is part of the Newport News City Public Schools district. After several years of 1-star ratings, the school posted its strongest result in at least a decade in 2025-26, jumping from the 13th percentile statewide to the 33rd percentile (739 out of 1,111 elementary schools) and earning a 2-star rating.

The improvement appears broad-based, with gains in every tested subject and grade from the prior year. Most notably, English Language Learner students at Palmer jumped from the 3rd percentile statewide in 2023-24 to the 83rd percentile in 2025-26, and Hispanic students improved from the 13th to the 60th percentile. Low-income students rank in the 64th percentile statewide, far above the district's overall 20th-percentile rank. Several 2025-26 SOL scores now exceed both district and state averages, including 5th grade science (69.2% proficient vs. 68.8% statewide), 4th grade Virginia Studies (73.6% vs. 70.5% statewide), and 3rd grade math (73.5% vs. 74.0% statewide). Chronic absenteeism also improved to 15.2%, better than the district average of 18.5% and lower than nearby T. Ryland Sanford Elementary, Hidenwood Elementary, and Willis A. Jenkins Elementary.

The school still faces challenges. Fourth grade math and reading remain below district and state averages, and Palmer trails Deer Park Elementary, a nearby Newport News school with a similarly high-poverty population that is a top-5% school in Virginia with 90-97% proficiency in most subjects and 6.3% chronic absenteeism. Top-tier York County Public Schools schools like Coventry Elementary and Mount Vernon Elementary also post much higher proficiency rates, though they serve significantly wealthier populations. Palmer does spend less per pupil ($8,954) than several district neighbors, yet it now outperforms most of them, suggesting resources are being used effectively. If attendance keeps improving and 4th grade support strengthens, Palmer has a credible path toward becoming one of the region's stronger high-poverty elementary schools.

465

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,954

Per pupil spending ?

98.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Palmer Lane
Newport News, VA 23602

(757) 881-5000

District: Newport News City Public Schools

Students who attend L.F. Palmer Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Homer L. Hines Middle
High:	Warwick High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.4%

African American:

40.9%

Two or more races:

7.3%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare L.F. Palmer Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 13th percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg61%

Virginia avg72%

739^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	39.6	739 of 1111	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.4	897 of 1110	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	969 of 1114	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	959 of 1114	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	862 of 1109	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.0	996 of 1103	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.2	838 of 1105	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	861 of 1097	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.8	866 of 1099	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.6	955 of 1096	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	9.0	1063 of 1100	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.3	1089 of 1110	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.8	1104 of 1120	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	19.3	1029 of 1117	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	34.1	889 of 1117	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	36.5	875 of 1113	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.9	882 of 1082	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	15.8	1034 of 1081	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	15.1	1029 of 1083	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	17.1	1004 of 1071	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	23.2	936 of 1062	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	51.8	308 of 591	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.6	300 of 579	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.0	398 of 588	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	453 of 579	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	77.8	53 of 315	83.2%	★★★★☆
2025	25.3	263 of 326	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	298 of 306	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	38.6	194 of 300	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	802 of 1100	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	923 of 1096	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	1002 of 1098	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	973 of 1100	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	248 of 619	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	27.4	473 of 606	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	506 of 580	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.7	417 of 564	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	379 of 1040	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.5	672 of 1046	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	728 of 1036	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	46.1	659 of 1099	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.0	876 of 1093	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	920 of 1101	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	932 of 1093	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	616 of 974	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)83rd percentile+50 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+26 vs school

African American (2026)48th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)40th percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)27th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies74%+3 vs state

Science69%~ state avg

Mathematics67%-6 vs state

English Reading64%-7 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate L.F. Palmer Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate L.F. Palmer Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near L.F. Palmer Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (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 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
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	$8,954	$152	$8,802
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	102.7%	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	$10,588	$1,047	$9,541
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	$9,446	$562	$8,884
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	100.0%	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	$9,502	$651	$8,851
Joseph H. Saunders Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	853 Harpersville Rd	Newport News	23601	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 591-4781	660	35	18.8	100.9%	97 (14.7%)	319 (48.3%)	185 (28.0%)	10 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.4%)	12.2	1009^th of 1111 public elementary schools	9.2%		12.2	1007^th of 1110 public elementary schools	9.3%	2	63.4	49.6	48.5	46.6	45.5	55.9	45.2	59.5	$8,526	$641	$7,885
Deer Park Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	11541 Jefferson Ave	Newport News	23601	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 591-7470	433	24	18.0	100.9%	101 (23.3%)	232 (53.6%)	41 (9.5%)	11 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (10.6%)	88.7	60^th of 1111 public elementary schools	94.6%		90.2	46^th of 1110 public elementary schools	95.9%	14	89.6	89.9	97.1	94.2	79.1	95.7	89.9	91.3	$9,121	$00	$9,121
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	99.7%	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	$10,075	$314	$9,761
Coventry Elementary	Public	K-5	200 Owen Davis Blvd	Yorktown	23693	York County	York County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 898-0403	630	41	15.3	34.8%	285 (45.2%)	90 (14.3%)	68 (10.8%)	110 (17.5%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	71 (11.3%)	82.1	171^st of 1111 public elementary schools	84.6%		78.1	246^th of 1110 public elementary schools	77.8%	75	90.7	83.9	89.5	83.8	83.3	85.4	91.4	80.8	$8,867	$519	$8,348
Mount Vernon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	310 Mt Vernon Dr	Yorktown	23693	York County	York County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 898-0480	573	38	15.0	25.0%	352 (61.4%)	38 (6.6%)	53 (9.2%)	71 (12.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.1%)	87.6	83^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	92.5%		90.1	49^th of 1110 public elementary schools	95.6%	34	86.5	88.5	91.8	89.8	85.7	94.7	89.8	89.1	$9,804	$308	$9,496
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	$9,561	$749	$8,812

Frequently Asked Questions about L.F. Palmer Elementary

What district is L.F. Palmer Elementary in?

Newport News City Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of L.F. Palmer Elementary?

Students at L.F. Palmer Elementary are 43% Hispanic, 41% African American, 7% Two or more races, 7% White, 1% Asian.

How many students attend L.F. Palmer Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 465 students attended L.F. Palmer Elementary.

What schools do graduates of L.F. Palmer Elementary attend?

Students who attend L.F. Palmer Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Homer L. Hines Middle
High : Warwick High

Is L.F. Palmer Elementary a good school?

L.F. Palmer Elementary ranks 739^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate L.F. Palmer Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

VAVirginia Elementary School Rankings

VAVirginia District Rankings

Schools in Newport News, VA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for L.F. Palmer Elementary!

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.