Northumberland Elementary

Northumberland Elementary is a PK-5 school in Heathsville, VA, serving 503 students in the Northumberland County Public Schools district. The district itself ranks in the lower-middle range of Virginia, but the school clearly stands out: it currently ranks 449th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools, earning a 3-star rating and placing in the 60th percentile statewide. After a pandemic-era dip, Northumberland has climbed steadily from 626th in 2023-2024 to 474th in 2024-2025 and now 449th, making it the only school in its immediate area showing consistent improvement.

Compared with nearby Richmond County Elementary, Cople Elementary, and Lancaster Elementary, Northumberland is the clear academic leader. Those three schools rank in the bottom half of the state, while Northumberland is the only one rated 3 stars. Fourth grade results are especially strong: 79.45% of students scored proficient in math and reading, and 87.5% scored proficient in Virginia Studies—well above state averages and far ahead of neighboring schools. The school also spends more per student ($14,957) than any nearby comparison school and has a low student-teacher ratio of 11.6. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 12.9% is below the state average, showing a strong recovery from pandemic-era levels.

What makes this particularly noteworthy is that Northumberland serves one of the highest-poverty student populations in the region, with 99.2% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Despite this, its low-income students rank in the 75th percentile statewide, and the school outperforms state averages in most tested subjects. One area to watch is a persistent gender gap—male students rank in the 66th percentile while female students rank in the 51st—and 5th grade science remains a relative weakness, though it has improved to near the state average. Overall, Northumberland Elementary is a strong, improving school and a standout in a region where neighboring elementary schools are struggling to keep pace.