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Cool Spring Elementary

Q: Is Cool Spring Elementary a good school?

Cool Spring Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Virginia elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Cool Spring Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 540 students attended Cool Spring Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Cool Spring Elementary?

Students at Cool Spring Elementary are 85% African American, 9% Hispanic, 4% White.

Q: What schools do graduates of Cool Spring Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cool Spring Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Vernon Johns Middle High : Petersburg High

Public Grades K-5

1109^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 0% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

[Cool Spring Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0291001202/school.aspx) is a K-5 public school in Petersburg, Virginia, serving 540 students in the [Petersburg City Public Schools](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/district/02910/search.aspx) district. The school ranks 1,109 out of 1,111 elementary schools in Virginia, placing it in the 0th percentile. It serves a very high-poverty population, with 94.26% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and chronic absenteeism stands at 25.9%, a serious issue, though notably lower than the district average of 37.8% and improving over the last two years.

Academically, proficiency rates on Virginia SOL assessments are far below state averages in nearly every subject. For example, 3rd Grade Reading proficiency is 24.36% versus 67.61% statewide, and 5th Grade Mathematics is 35.42% versus 72.39% statewide. This represents a dramatic decline, as the school earned 4 stars and ranked in the 74th percentile in 2015-2016. By contrast, several nearby schools achieve dramatically better results despite serving similar populations. [Ettrick Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0084000327/school.aspx), just 2.32 miles away in [Chesterfield County Public Schools](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/district/00840/search.aspx), posts 5th Grade Math proficiency of 85.88%, while [Matoaca Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0084000339/school.aspx) posts 82.73% in both 5th Grade Math and Reading. Even within the same district, [Walnut Hill Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0291001203/school.aspx) serves a similarly high-poverty population but achieves 51.9% proficiency in 3rd Grade Reading, more than double the 24.36% proficiency at [Cool Spring Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0291001202/school.aspx).

The data also reveals significant resource disparities. [Cool Spring Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0291001202/school.aspx) spent $5,417 per student in 2023-2024, far below the $12,686 spent at [Pleasants Lane Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0291001196/school.aspx) in the same district and the $13,020 spent at [North Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0096000365/school.aspx) in [Colonial Heights City Public Schools](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/district/00960/search.aspx). However, there are encouraging signs: 5th Grade Science proficiency has climbed from 12.16% in 2022-2023 to 34.38% in 2025-2026, and chronic absenteeism has dropped from 33.3% to 25.9%. The fact that nearby high-poverty schools like [Tussing Elementary](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/VA/schools/0096000366/school.aspx) (99.39% poverty) achieve much higher results shows that poverty alone does not determine outcomes, and the most pressing priorities should be raising early-grade reading proficiency and sustaining recent gains.

540

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,536

Per pupil spending ?

94.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1450 Talley Avenue
Petersburg, VA 23803

(804) 862-7002

District: Petersburg City Public Schools

Students who attend Cool Spring Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Vernon Johns Middle
High:	Petersburg High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

85.4%

Hispanic:

8.7%

White:

4.1%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Cool Spring Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2015 → <1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (34% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (25% vs 13% Virginia)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg37%

Virginia avg72%

1,109^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 74 pts since 2016

From top 26% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Petersburg City Public Schools

130^th of 131Petersburg 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	1.0	1109 of 1111	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.3	1105 of 1110	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.7	1108 of 1114	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.5	1109 of 1114	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.1	1083 of 1109	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.0	1053 of 1103	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.1	1090 of 1105	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.6	1071 of 1097	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	71.4	285 of 1096	74.0%	★★★★☆
2015	60.4	461 of 1100	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	13.3	1055 of 1110	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.0	1107 of 1120	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	6.5	1102 of 1117	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	0.2	1117 of 1117	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.3	1111 of 1113	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	15.6	1036 of 1082	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	1.6	1077 of 1081	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	0.7	1081 of 1083	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.1	1070 of 1071	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	17.1	987 of 1062	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	4.3	584 of 591	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.0	567 of 579	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.1	581 of 588	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	568 of 579	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	1.5	1096 of 1100	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.8	1090 of 1096	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.8	1086 of 1098	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.7	1095 of 1100	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	46.7	347 of 580	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	2.7	1036 of 1040	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.1	1031 of 1046	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	1027 of 1036	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	1.2	1095 of 1099	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.4	1087 of 1093	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.9	1093 of 1101	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.8	1088 of 1093	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2024)40th percentile+40 vs school

African American (2026)1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Female (2026)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics35%-39 vs state

Science34%-34 vs state

English Reading34%-37 vs state

VA Studies27%-44 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cool Spring 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 (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Cool Spring Elementary	Public	K-5	1450 Talley Avenue	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7002	540	37	14.5	94.3%	22 (4.1%)	461 (85.4%)	47 (8.7%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	1	1109^th of 1111 public elementary schools	0.2%		1.3	1105^th of 1110 public elementary schools	0.5%	4	37.2	31.3	35.4	34.4	24.4	37.8	39.6	26.5	$5,536	$971	$4,565
Pleasants Lane Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Pleasants Lane	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7013	493	39	12.6	93.1%	15 (3.0%)	382 (77.5%)	82 (16.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	10 (2.0%)	1.3	1104^th of 1111 public elementary schools	0.6%		1.5	1103^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	0.6%	1	44.8	29.1	22.1	25.9	34.9	31.8	45.7	32.6	$13,935	$5,280	$8,655
Walnut Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	300 S Boulevard	Petersburg	23805	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7005	574	40	14.3	93.7%	24 (4.2%)	486 (84.7%)	52 (9.1%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	8.3	1041^st of 1111 public elementary schools	6.3%		6.1	1064^th of 1110 public elementary schools	4.1%	23	50.6	43.5	52.3	47.1	51.9	44.0	57.5	36.3	$9,648	$742	$8,906
Ettrick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20910 Chesterfield Ave.	South Chesterfield	23803	Petersburg city	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 520-6005	560	43	13.0	75.2%	104 (18.6%)	358 (63.9%)	64 (11.4%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.4%)	60.4	470^th of 1111 public elementary schools	57.7%		49.3	606^th of 1110 public elementary schools	45.4%	136	79.1	79.1	85.9	70.9	70.7	75.9	72.1	70.7	$10,747	$1,139	$9,608
Matoaca Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20300 Halloway Avenue	South Chesterfield	23803	Petersburg city	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 590-3100	676	49	13.6	76.5%	348 (51.5%)	206 (30.5%)	80 (11.8%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.3%)	47.3	648^th of 1111 public elementary schools	41.7%		55.3	539^th of 1110 public elementary schools	51.4%	109	63.8	65.5	82.7	83.6	56.6	69.0	82.7	59.1	$8,924	$438	$8,486
Lakemont Elementary	Public	K-5	51 Gibbons St	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7007	393	33	11.9	93.6%	17 (4.3%)	285 (72.5%)	81 (20.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.5%)	1.3	1105^th of 1111 public elementary schools	0.5%		1.1	1107^th of 1110 public elementary schools	0.3%	2	30.1	50.0	19.2	25.5	21.9	38.9	34.0	31.5	$9,731	$1,728	$8,003
Lakeview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Taswell Ave	Colonial Heights	23834	Colonial Heights city	Colonial Heights City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 524-3435	422	34	12.4	95.7%	170 (40.3%)	106 (25.1%)	96 (22.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (11.1%)	46.3	655^th of 1111 public elementary schools	41.0%		49	614^th of 1110 public elementary schools	44.7%	41	74.0	74.3	74.7	68.6	59.2	68.9	74.3	62.0	$13,646	$757	$12,889
North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3201 Dale Ave	Colonial Heights	23834	Colonial Heights city	Colonial Heights City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 524-3430	311	25	12.4	—	84 (27.0%)	125 (40.2%)	54 (17.4%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (13.8%)	52.8	582^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	47.6%		64.6	426^th of 1110 public elementary schools	61.6%	156	63.2	91.2	88.9	77.8	56.1	67.7	75.6	73.5	$14,783	$952	$13,831
Tussing Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5501 Conduit Rd	Colonial Heights	23834	Colonial Heights city	Colonial Heights City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 524-3440	652	46	14.1	—	360 (55.2%)	115 (17.6%)	94 (14.4%)	17 (2.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (9.8%)	63.1	435^th of 1111 public elementary schools	60.8%		59.2	488^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.0%	53	77.7	81.1	82.7	75.5	71.2	74.4	77.6	72.3	$11,572	$642	$10,930
Middle Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5400 Middle Road	Prince George	23875	Prince George County	Prince George County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 733-2750	769	47	16.3	61.5%	248 (32.2%)	274 (35.6%)	162 (21.1%)	8 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.0%)	68 (8.8%)	55.9	541^st of 1111 public elementary schools	51.3%		59.7	478^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.9%	63	69.7	70.5	77.6	79.2	63.1	77.1	79.0	73.0	$8,397	$578	$7,819

Frequently Asked Questions about Cool Spring Elementary

Is Cool Spring Elementary a good school?

Cool Spring Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Virginia elementary schools.

How many students attend Cool Spring Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 540 students attended Cool Spring Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cool Spring Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cool Spring Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Vernon Johns Middle
High : Petersburg High

What district is Cool Spring Elementary in?

Petersburg City Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Cool Spring Elementary?

Students at Cool Spring Elementary are 85% African American, 9% Hispanic, 4% White.

Rate Cool Spring Elementary!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 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.