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Willis A. Jenkins Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

893^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Willis A. Jenkins Elementary is a PK–5 school in Newport News, VA, serving 507 students in a high-poverty area where virtually all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In 2025–2026, Jenkins ranked 893rd out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools – the 20th percentile, with a 1-star rating. That's a meaningful improvement from the prior year (1,005th, 0 stars), though its history shows instability, ranging from the 8th to the 30th percentile over the past decade. The Newport News City Public Schools district ranks 105th out of 131 in Virginia.

Despite its overall rank, Jenkins has clear strengths. English Learner students ranked in the 87th percentile statewide in 2024–2025 – an exceptional result and far above the school's overall performance. Science is also a bright spot: in 2025–2026, 68.66% of 5th graders were proficient, nearly matching the state average and beating the district's 58.71%. Nearby George J. McIntosh Elementary had only 39.68% proficiency in 5th grade science, and Stoney Run Elementary had 42.31%. The school also rebounded strongly in 2025–2026, with 3rd grade reading up 14.8 points and 5th grade reading up 17.4 points.

Challenges remain. Jenkins spent $9,502 per student in 2023–2024 – less than Hidenwood Elementary ($10,757) and David A. Dutrow Elementary ($10,639) – while serving a high-poverty population. The student-teacher ratio rose from 15.5 to 18.7 in two years, and chronic absenteeism, though improved from 36.7% to 18.5%, is still above the state rate of 14.8%. Fourth grade scores are also noticeably weaker than 3rd and 5th grade, especially in reading and math. Still, Jenkins' strong science and ELL results show capacity to build on, and the recent academic rebound is a positive sign for parents.

507

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,502

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

80 Menchville Road
Newport News, VA 23602

(757) 881-5400

District: Newport News City Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

54.0%

Hispanic:

19.1%

White:

17.4%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Willis A. Jenkins Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 30th percentile in 2023 → 20th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (60% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 30th-percentile peak (2023) to 20th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg61%

Virginia avg72%

893^rd of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^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	25.0	893 of 1111	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.3	1005 of 1110	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.4	908 of 1114	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	775 of 1114	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.7	962 of 1109	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.2	1017 of 1103	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.9	945 of 1105	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.6	785 of 1097	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	37.2	803 of 1099	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.5	956 of 1096	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	8.5	1065 of 1100	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	9.2	1073 of 1110	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.1	1106 of 1120	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.6	1108 of 1117	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	2.7	1111 of 1117	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	21.6	1019 of 1113	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	20.6	997 of 1082	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	36.0	814 of 1081	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	32.7	871 of 1083	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	30.9	889 of 1071	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.1	900 of 1062	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	38.7	403 of 591	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	15.3	531 of 579	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	35.2	438 of 588	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	60.1	232 of 579	59.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	80.8	44 of 326	86.5%	★★★★☆
2023	53.9	137 of 300	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	869 of 1100	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	957 of 1096	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	839 of 1098	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.9	703 of 1100	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	42.1	375 of 619	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.5	423 of 606	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.1	352 of 564	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	32.8	764 of 1040	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.0	894 of 1046	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.9	698 of 1036	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	24.1	910 of 1099	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.7	1010 of 1093	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	943 of 1101	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	835 of 1093	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	19.3	875 of 974	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.5	872 of 973	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	883 of 979	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)87th percentile+77 vs school

Hispanic (2026)39th percentile+20 vs school

African American (2026)32nd percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)27th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile~ school

Male (2026)17th percentile~ school

White (2026)10th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Science69%~ state avg

English Reading60%-12 vs state

Mathematics59%-15 vs state

VA Studies56%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willis A. Jenkins 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 (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
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
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
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
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
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
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	99.6%	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	$10,639	$1,498	$9,141
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	99.6%	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	$10,077	$661	$9,415
George J. McIntosh Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	185 Richneck Rd	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 886-7767	446	25	17.8	100.7%	49 (11.0%)	236 (52.9%)	114 (25.6%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.0%)	14.8	990^th of 1111 public elementary schools	10.9%		14	988^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.0%	2	60.9	54.7	42.9	39.7	52.2	63.5	48.3	61.9	$12,275	$1,538	$10,737
David A. Dutrow Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	60 Curtis Tignor Rd	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 886-7760	341	20	17.0	99.7%	55 (16.1%)	169 (49.6%)	64 (18.8%)	5 (1.5%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	44 (12.9%)	45.6	668^th of 1111 public elementary schools	39.9%		33.3	797^th of 1110 public elementary schools	28.2%	129	76.8	75.0	63.6	50.9	73.2	73.2	63.6	75.0	$8,935	$183	$8,752

Frequently Asked Questions about Willis A. Jenkins Elementary

How many students attend Willis A. Jenkins Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 507 students attended Willis A. Jenkins Elementary.

Is Willis A. Jenkins Elementary a good school?

Willis A. Jenkins Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.6% of Virginia elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Willis A. Jenkins Elementary?

Students at Willis A. Jenkins Elementary are 54% African American, 19% Hispanic, 17% White, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Willis A. Jenkins Elementary in?

Newport News City Public Schools

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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.