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Lightfoot Elementary

Q: Is Lightfoot Elementary a good school?

Lightfoot Elementary ranks 563 rd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

563^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Lightfoot Elementary is a small upper-elementary school in Unionville, VA, serving 224 students in grades 3–5 as part of Orange County Public Schools, a rural central Virginia district. The school has undergone a remarkable turnaround: after years of ranking in the bottom third of Virginia elementary schools, it jumped to the 65th percentile statewide in 2024–2025 before settling at the 49th percentile in 2025–2026—still well above its historical norm. This is especially notable given that roughly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Lightfoot Elementary's biggest standout metric is attendance. Its chronic absenteeism rate was just 4.5% in 2024–2025, compared with 18.3% districtwide and 14.8% statewide—a dramatic recovery from 75.2% during the 2020–2021 pandemic year. Academically, the school outperformed its district in 7 of 8 tested grade/subject combinations in 2025–2026 and the state in 5 of 8. In 5th grade math, 78.31% of students were proficient versus 66.94% for the district and 72.39% for Virginia. By comparison, Orange Elementary posted 69.23% and Locust Grove Elementary just 55.26%—making Lightfoot the top-performing 3–5 elementary in Orange County, even though all three serve similar high-poverty populations.

Lightfoot is especially effective with students who face the greatest challenges. Its low-income students ranked in the 70th percentile statewide (4 stars) and disabled students in the 71st percentile—both well above the school's overall 49th-percentile ranking. The school also spends less per student ($8,604) than nearby alternatives like Farmington Elementary ($11,601) or Trevilians Elementary ($10,919), making its outcomes even more notable. The main challenges are a 3rd-grade reading entry gap (63.51% proficient vs. 67.61% statewide) that reflects students arriving below grade level from PK–2 feeder schools, and a gender gap in which female students rank at the 67th percentile versus the 34th for males. By 5th grade, however, Lightfoot students surpass state averages in reading, math, and science—evidence the school is adding real value.

224

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,604

Per pupil spending ?

70.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11360 Zachary Taylor Hwy
Unionville, VA 22567

(540) 661-4520

District: Orange County Public Schools

Students who attend Lightfoot Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Locust Grove Middle
High:	Orange County High

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.1%

Hispanic:

17.0%

African American:

8.5%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2016 → 49th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg68%

Virginia avg72%

563^rd of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 27% (2016) to bottom 49% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Orange County Public Schools

86^th of 131Orange 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	563 of 1111	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	67.3	389 of 1110	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.1	746 of 1114	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.0	872 of 1114	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	888 of 1109	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	861 of 1103	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.7	844 of 1105	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.8	741 of 1097	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.1	829 of 1099	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	37.5	798 of 1096	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	37.5	790 of 1100	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.5	872 of 1110	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	51.5	582 of 1120	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	58.5	465 of 1117	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.2	323 of 1117	71.1%	★★★★☆
2010	74.2	201 of 1113	81.9%	★★★★☆
2009	35.7	854 of 1082	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.1	1000 of 1081	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	25.8	946 of 1083	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	34.6	842 of 1071	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	39.4	748 of 1062	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	66.3	122 of 420	71.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	67.2	366 of 1100	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.5	387 of 1096	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	26.2	874 of 1098	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	976 of 1100	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	63.5	212 of 619	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.4	142 of 606	76.6%	★★★★☆
2024	56.7	258 of 580	55.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	312 of 1040	70.0%	★★★★☆
2025	70.3	254 of 1046	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	42.9	643 of 1036	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	722 of 1099	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	65.0	396 of 1093	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	581 of 1101	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.9	667 of 1093	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	276 of 306	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	25.0	814 of 974	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	52.9	513 of 973	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.4	865 of 979	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	935 of 984	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2026)71st percentile+22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile+21 vs school

Female (2026)67th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)66th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)34th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-33 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)10th percentile-40 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics76%+3 vs state

VA Studies76%+5 vs state

Science73%+5 vs state

English Reading69%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Lightfoot 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	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
Lightfoot Elementary	Public	3-5	11360 Zachary Taylor Hwy	Unionville	22567	Orange County	Orange County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 661-4520	224	14	16.5	70.1%	148 (66.1%)	19 (8.5%)	38 (17.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	16 (7.1%)	54.6	563^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	49.3%		67.3	389^th of 1110 public elementary schools	65.0%	174	71.6	78.7	78.3	73.5	63.5	70.5	73.5	75.9	$8,604	$1,841	$6,763
Unionville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	10285 Zachary Taylor Hwy	Unionville	22567	Orange County	Orange County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 661-4540	256	16	16.5	69.5%	178 (69.5%)	17 (6.6%)	31 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	26 (10.2%)								(n/a)									$8,851	$1,310	$7,541
Locust Grove Elementary	Public	3-5	31208 Constitution Highway	Locust Grove	22508	Orange County	Orange County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 661-4440	519	31	16.7	69.6%	283 (54.5%)	61 (11.8%)	102 (19.7%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (12.5%)	29.9	843^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	24.1%		42	698^th of 1110 public elementary schools	37.1%	145	63.6	68.5	55.3	60.5	59.3	71.7	63.8	58.2	$7,384	$472	$6,912
Locust Grove Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	31230 Constitution Highway	Locust Grove	22508	Orange County	Orange County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 661-4420	500	30	16.6	69.4%	276 (55.2%)	42 (8.4%)	109 (21.8%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (13.4%)								(n/a)									$7,715	$536	$7,179
Orange Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	230 Montevista Avenue	Orange	22960	Orange County	Orange County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 661-4450	621	37	16.7	60.4%	285 (45.9%)	132 (21.3%)	102 (16.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	97 (15.6%)	42.6	704^th of 1111 public elementary schools	36.6%		45	666^th of 1110 public elementary schools	40.0%	38	66.7	71.4	69.2	70.3	60.4	70.1	70.3	68.6	$8,811	$2,219	$6,591
Pearl Sample Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18480 Simms Dr	Culpeper	22701	Culpeper County	Culpeper County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 825-5448	680	43	15.8	82.4%	298 (43.8%)	68 (10.0%)	193 (28.4%)	21 (3.1%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (14.0%)	60.5	469^th of 1111 public elementary schools	57.8%		55.4	537^th of 1110 public elementary schools	51.6%	68	79.2	78.3	92.4	78.0	64.0	74.0	73.7	69.2	$10,229	$566	$9,663
Trevilians Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2035 Spotswood Trail	Louisa	23093	Louisa County	Louisa County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 967-1108	546	40	13.6	79.3%	354 (64.8%)	73 (13.4%)	47 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (13.0%)	83.3	155^th of 1111 public elementary schools	86.0%		86.1	103^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	90.7%	52	85.6	93.8	92.1	77.3	90.0	90.0	79.8	90.0	$10,919	$10,919	$00
A.G. Richardson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18370 Simms Dr	Culpeper	22701	Culpeper County	Culpeper County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 825-0616	563	37	15.2	55.4%	320 (56.8%)	62 (11.0%)	111 (19.7%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (11.7%)	67.3	383^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	65.5%		67.6	381^st of 1110 public elementary schools	65.7%	2	81.0	78.9	87.8	79.6	64.0	76.9	76.5	88.0	$11,080	$383	$10,698
Livingston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6057 Courthouse Rd	Spotsylvania	22551	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 895-5101	479	29	16.5	65.1%	326 (68.1%)	40 (8.4%)	67 (14.0%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (8.4%)	12.1	1010^th of 1111 public elementary schools	9.1%		25.5	875^th of 1110 public elementary schools	21.2%	135	67.1	53.2	37.3	44.8	57.5	57.0	41.8	34.2	$10,146	$805	$9,341
Farmington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 Sunset Ln	Culpeper	22701	Culpeper County	Culpeper County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 825-0713	453	31	14.6	94.3%	100 (22.1%)	91 (20.1%)	211 (46.6%)	11 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.6%)	23.4	913^th of 1111 public elementary schools	17.8%		29.3	836^th of 1110 public elementary schools	24.7%	77	51.6	64.6	65.6	52.5	45.2	65.8	55.7	66.7	$11,601	$1,349	$10,251

Frequently Asked Questions about Lightfoot Elementary

Is Lightfoot Elementary a good school?

Lightfoot Elementary ranks 563^rd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Lightfoot Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 224 students attended Lightfoot Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Lightfoot Elementary?

Students at Lightfoot Elementary are 66% White, 17% Hispanic, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Lightfoot Elementary attend?

Students who attend Lightfoot Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Locust Grove Middle
High : Orange County High

What district is Lightfoot Elementary in?

Orange County Public Schools

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Schools in Unionville, VA

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresNewAug 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.