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Kiptopeke Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6
786th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools
Better than 29% of Virginia elementary schools
Summary

Kiptopeke Elementary is a PK–6 school in Cape Charles, VA, serving about 300 students in Northampton County Public Schools. The school has historically ranked in the lower quarter of Virginia elementary schools, but the most recent data shows clear upward momentum: Kiptopeke moved from the 8th percentile statewide in 2023-24 to the 29th percentile in 2025-26. This improvement stands out even more given that the surrounding district ranks near the bottom of Virginia, making Kiptopeke a relative bright spot in the county.

Academically, the strongest news comes from early grades and upper elementary. In 2025-26, 3rd graders at Kiptopeke nearly matched the Virginia state average in math and actually exceeded the state average in reading, a dramatic jump from the previous year. Meanwhile, 6th grade math proficiency has stayed well above state averages for two consecutive years, suggesting the school prepares students well for the middle school transition. Another major win is attendance: chronic absenteeism has fallen from 25.9% in 2021-22 to just 12.9% in 2024-25—now better than both the district and the state average. For a school where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch, these gains point to effective supports and a positive school climate. Subgroup data also shows that Hispanic and low-income students at Kiptopeke perform above the state median for their groups, an encouraging sign of equitable instruction.

There are still areas to watch. Science and social studies remain well below state averages, and 4th and 5th grade math and reading skills are weaker than the early-grade results. With a low student-to-teacher ratio of about 11.5:1 and per-pupil spending that has risen to roughly $12,000, the school has solid resources to build on. If Kiptopeke can translate its early-grade success into stronger middle-elementary performance and boost science and social studies, it is well positioned to keep climbing. For parents, the big picture is simple: this is a school that has made real, measurable progress in the last two years and is moving in the right direction.

300
Students ?
11.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$12,062
Per pupil spending ?
98.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 24023 Fairview Rd
       Cape Charles, VA  23310

(757) 678-5151

District: Northampton County Public Schools


Students who attend Kiptopeke Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Northampton Middle
High:    Northampton High
Racial breakdown:

African American:
38.7%
White:
32.3%
Hispanic:
23.7%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 21st percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2016
✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Virginia average (63% vs 71% meeting standards)
!Science scores 26 pts below the Virginia average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school63%
District avg59%
Virginia avg71%
786th of 1,111
Virginia public elementary schools ?
Bottom 29%▲ up 8 pts since 2016
From bottom 21% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 2Elementary Schools in the Northampton County Public Schools
120th of 131Northampton County 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202635.1786 of 111129.3%★☆☆☆☆
202527.5855 of 111023.0%★☆☆☆☆
202410.31023 of 11148.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202315.1978 of 111412.2%★☆☆☆☆
202218.0958 of 110913.6%★☆☆☆☆
202126.6838 of 110324.0%★☆☆☆☆
201910.11045 of 11055.4%☆☆☆☆☆
201817.9982 of 109710.5%★☆☆☆☆
201719.7980 of 109910.8%★☆☆☆☆
201631.2865 of 109621.1%★☆☆☆☆
201527.6897 of 110018.5%★☆☆☆☆
201420.51002 of 11109.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201325.0939 of 112016.2%★☆☆☆☆
201217.21047 of 11176.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20113.71106 of 11171.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20102.01108 of 11130.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20095.01074 of 10820.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20080.21081 of 10810.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20079.21062 of 10831.9%☆☆☆☆☆
200628.0923 of 107113.8%★☆☆☆☆
200541.4713 of 106232.9%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202646.7347 of 59141.3%★★☆☆☆
202550.8305 of 57947.3%★★☆☆☆
202436.3423 of 58828.1%★☆☆☆☆
202327.6466 of 57919.5%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202646.6646 of 110041.3%★★☆☆☆
202531.7804 of 109626.6%★☆☆☆☆
202416.9964 of 109812.2%★☆☆☆☆
202314.0992 of 11009.8%☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202567.4190 of 60668.6%★★★☆☆
202457.1249 of 58057.1%★★★☆☆
202337.0392 of 56430.5%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202652.7515 of 104050.5%★★★☆☆
202540.2677 of 104635.3%★★☆☆☆
202413.6964 of 10366.9%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202643.8683 of 109937.9%★★☆☆☆
202533.4792 of 109327.5%★☆☆☆☆
202414.8981 of 110110.9%★☆☆☆☆
202318.6945 of 109313.5%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202637.5700 of 97428.1%★☆☆☆☆
202531.6753 of 97322.6%★☆☆☆☆
202410.6934 of 9794.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202324.0844 of 98414.2%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Hispanic (2025)69th percentile+46 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile+21 vs school
African American (2026)41st percentile+12 vs school
Female (2026)41st percentile+12 vs school
Male (2026)38th percentile+9 vs school
White (2026)28th percentile~ school
By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?
English Reading69%-3 vs state
Mathematics65%-7 vs state
VA Studies52%-19 vs state
Science43%-26 vs state

3.0
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What people are saying
by a parent
Monday, January 14, 2013

Open Quote Mrs. Parker is wonderful. Unfortunately she is not the principal. She is the assistant and she has less power than she has ever had before. The new principal is a tyrant who doesn't know what she is doing. I hear she has never even been a teacher. How can you be in charge of teachers if you never taught? I had to get my kids out of there. I feel bad for families who have no choice. This principal is great for business at the local private schools. They should pay her a finders fee for running parents off! Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, March 17, 2011

Open Quote I came to virginia for a temporaily stay because of an unexpected illness of my mother, and I put my kids in schools here. Kiptopeke was the school I choose and I am very glad I did. The school is Great! The ladies in the office are great and I got a chance to meet Mrs. Parker, the Principal. She is such a nice woman, very kind and caring and such a pleasure to be around. I also am so pleased with my daughter's teachers. She has two teachers and they both are wonderful. I appreciated how everyone welcomed us to Kiptopeke Elem. and made us feel. It was almost like we have been here our entire life. I would not change a thing and i couldn't be blessed anymore then I am now. I feel great that my child loves her school, her teacher and everything at kiptopeke. She went from a school that was half day to a school that is full day. This was a huge change and she fit in perfect and is doing wonderful. That was all i was nervous about was the whole day situation and it worked out great. Her teacher lets me know how good shes doing and it's awesome how these people at Kiptopeke really are. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about Kiptopeke Elementary

Students who attend Kiptopeke Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Northampton Middle
High : Northampton High

Kiptopeke Elementary ranks 786th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 300 students attended Kiptopeke Elementary.

Students at Kiptopeke Elementary are 39% African American, 32% White, 24% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

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Schools in Cape Charles, VA

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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.

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