Summary
Suburban Park Elementary is a PK–5 school in Norfolk, VA, serving 415 students within Norfolk City Public Schools, a district ranked in the bottom 15% of Virginia districts. In 2025–2026, the school earned a 2-star rating and ranked 706th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools — a meaningful jump from 922nd the prior year and its best ranking since 2017–2018. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school spends about $10,583 per student with a 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio.
The school's biggest story is its unusual grade-level pattern: 3rd grade scores are weak, but 5th grade scores are genuinely excellent. In 2025–2026, 3rd grade reading proficiency was just 34.69% — the lowest among nearby schools, below Granby Elementary's 46.43%. Yet by 5th grade, math proficiency hit 87.5%, the highest in the surrounding cluster and well above Larchmont Elementary (73.68%), Camp Allen Elementary (78.72%), and the state average (72.39%). Fifth grade reading (77.42%), science (78.13%), and VA Studies (87.10%) also rival the top performers in the area. Year-over-year gains were dramatic — 4th grade math jumped from 39% to 77%, and 5th grade science from 57% to 78% — lifting the school from the 17th to the 36th percentile statewide.
Subgroup results are also a bright spot: Hispanic students rank at the 78th percentile statewide, African American students at the 54th, and low-income students at the 52nd — all above the school's overall standing. However, chronic absenteeism (19.9%) is higher than most nearby schools, including Camp Allen (5.2%), Larchmont (8.9%), and Granby (17.6%). Spending does not explain the differences: Lindenwood Elementary and James Monroe Elementary spend over $14,000 per student yet rank lower. In short, Suburban Park's upper-grade success points to real instructional strength, but 3rd grade literacy and attendance are the key levers for continued improvement.
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