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John L. Hurt Elementary

Q: Is John L. Hurt Elementary a good school?

John L. Hurt Elementary ranks 179 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

179^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

John L. Hurt Elementary is a PK–5 school in Hurt, Virginia, serving 257 students in Pittsylvania County Public Schools, a district rated in the top quarter of Virginia school divisions. The school has consistently earned 4- or 5-star ratings and ranked 179th of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools in 2025-2026. What makes this especially notable is that nearly 88% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — and despite that, the school outperforms state averages on every single SOL assessment, including a remarkable 91.18% proficiency in 5th grade science (22 points above the state average).

Even more impressive is how John L. Hurt supports its most vulnerable students. The school's economically disadvantaged students have ranked in the top 3% of Virginia schools for three consecutive years, including a #3 statewide ranking in 2023-2024. This puts the school in a completely different league than nearby schools serving similar populations — Gretna Elementary (ranked 579th), Altavista Elementary (432nd), and Yellow Branch Elementary (551st), despite comparable poverty levels. In fact, John L. Hurt performs in the same general tier as nearby low-poverty schools like Thomas Jefferson Elementary and New London Academy — a remarkable outcome given the demographic differences.

Attendance appears to be a hidden strength: chronic absenteeism at John L. Hurt is just 6.2%, less than half the state rate of 14.8% and dramatically lower than Gretna Elementary's 13.0%. The school also spends a moderate $9,709 per student, making its outcomes particularly strong for the cost. While small-school enrollment can create year-to-year swings — the school ranked as high as 23rd in 2017-2018 and dipped to 335th in 2020-2021 — the long-term trend is solidly above average. For parents, the story is clear: this is a school where high-poverty students achieve at levels typically seen in affluent communities, making John L. Hurt Elementary a standout for equity and excellence.

257

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,709

Per pupil spending ?

87.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

315 Prospect Rd
Hurt, VA 24563

(434) 630-1812

District: Pittsylvania County Public Schools

Students who attend John L. Hurt Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Gretna Middle
High:	Gretna High

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.1%

African American:

24.5%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare John L. Hurt Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (86% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of Virginia elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 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 school86%

District avg78%

Virginia avg72%

179^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 10Elementary Schools in the Pittsylvania County Public Schools

23^rd of 131Pittsylvania 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	81.5	179 of 1111	83.9%	★★★★☆
2025	78.9	231 of 1110	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	89.8	48 of 1114	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	83.1	153 of 1114	86.3%	★★★★☆
2022	73.1	300 of 1109	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	70.3	335 of 1103	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	83.0	116 of 1105	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	90.5	23 of 1097	97.9%	★★★★★
2017	73.6	247 of 1099	77.5%	★★★★☆
2016	70.6	298 of 1096	72.8%	★★★★☆
2015	36.8	801 of 1100	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	47.8	637 of 1110	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	30.1	879 of 1120	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	53.5	565 of 1117	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.1	656 of 1117	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.8	452 of 1113	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.2	476 of 1082	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	82.0	73 of 1081	93.2%	★★★★★
2007	73.9	208 of 1083	80.8%	★★★★☆
2006	73.3	216 of 1071	79.8%	★★★★☆
2005	67.8	303 of 1062	71.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	64.8	192 of 591	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	80.0	78 of 579	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	94.3	9 of 588	98.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	82.2	153 of 1100	86.1%	★★★★☆
2025	76.1	255 of 1096	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	84.0	120 of 1098	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	67.9	348 of 1100	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	90.9	30 of 1040	97.1%	★★★★★
2025	93.2	17 of 1046	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	97.9	3 of 1036	99.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	78.1	212 of 1099	80.7%	★★★★☆
2025	79.1	215 of 1093	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	92.4	17 of 1101	98.5%	★★★★★
2023	91.6	23 of 1093	97.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	74.9	202 of 974	79.3%	★★★★☆
2025	70.6	267 of 973	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	87.2	31 of 979	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	86.9	44 of 984	95.5%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)97th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2026)86th percentile~ school

Male (2026)81st percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)79th percentile-5 vs school

African American (2026)68th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Science91%+22 vs state

English Reading89%+18 vs state

VA Studies84%+14 vs state

Mathematics83%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near John L. Hurt 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 (2025)	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
John L. Hurt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	315 Prospect Rd	Hurt	24563	Pittsylvania County	Pittsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 630-1812	257	19	13.5	87.5%	175 (68.1%)	63 (24.5%)	7 (2.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.3%)	81.5	179^th of 1111 public elementary schools	83.9%		78.9	231^st of 1110 public elementary schools	79.2%	52	78.4	82.2	88.2	91.2	81.1	93.3	91.2	84.4	$9,709	$645	$9,063
Altavista Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1003 Lynch Mill Rd	Altavista	24517	Campbell County	Campbell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 369-5665	497	36	13.9	78.1%	269 (54.1%)	147 (29.6%)	31 (6.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.3%)	63.5	432^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	61.1%		47.3	633^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	43.0%	201	80.8	75.3	85.3	77.3	70.5	75.3	73.3	77.3	$8,303	$804	$7,499
Gretna Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	302 Franklin Blvd South	Gretna	24557	Pittsylvania County	Pittsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 630-1808	493	36	13.6	83.0%	332 (67.3%)	131 (26.6%)	20 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.6%)	53	579^th of 1111 public elementary schools	47.9%		68.3	372^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	66.5%	207	65.1	82.5	79.0	66.1	69.9	71.9	74.2	75.4	$9,012	$1,404	$7,607
Huddleston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1027 Huddleston Drive	Huddleston	24104	Bedford County	Bedford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 297-5144	221	16	13.5	101.8%	173 (78.3%)	23 (10.4%)	6 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	17 (7.7%)	54.5	565^th of 1111 public elementary schools	49.1%		46.7	646^th of 1110 public elementary schools	41.8%	81	69.7	75.7	50.0	75.8	78.1	81.1	67.7	81.1	$10,119	$1,057	$9,062
Mount Airy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Mt Airy Elementary Cir	Gretna	24557	Pittsylvania County	Pittsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 630-1816	141	15	9.4	85.8%	80 (56.7%)	43 (30.5%)	11 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.0%)	83	158^th of 1111 public elementary schools	85.8%		82.3	173^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	84.4%	15	85.0	84.6	96.4	92.9	75.0	84.6	85.7	84.6	$14,245	$2,649	$11,595
Yellow Branch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	377 Dennis Riddle Dr	Rustburg	24588	Campbell County	Campbell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 821-1021	584	44	13.1	78.9%	385 (65.9%)	100 (17.1%)	43 (7.4%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.6%)	55.3	551^st of 1111 public elementary schools	50.4%		56.5	526^th of 1110 public elementary schools	52.6%	25	72.2	71.8	81.8	74.0	64.4	75.6	74.0	75.3	$8,906	$761	$8,146
New London Academy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1133 Academy Lane	Forest	24551	Bedford County	Bedford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(434) 525-2177	330	22	15.0	31.8%	260 (78.8%)	20 (6.1%)	21 (6.4%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.7%)	86	105^th of 1111 public elementary schools	90.5%		80.4	211^th of 1110 public elementary schools	81.0%	106	90.2	92.9	85.7	83.3	92.2	85.7	85.7	91.1	$8,950	$528	$8,422
Rustburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 Village Hwy	Rustburg	24588	Campbell County	Campbell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 332-5215	450	35	12.9	77.3%	338 (75.1%)	41 (9.1%)	25 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.8%)	53.5	573^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	48.4%		57.9	507^th of 1110 public elementary schools	54.3%	66	69.7	74.2	79.0	79.0	63.6	69.4	71.9	78.7	$10,257	$1,367	$8,889
Leesville Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	25 Lewis Way	Lynchburg	24502	Lynchburg city	Campbell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 239-0303	646	44	14.5	78.6%	361 (55.9%)	108 (16.7%)	94 (14.6%)	17 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	65 (10.1%)	64.6	418^th of 1111 public elementary schools	62.4%		66.9	392^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	64.7%	26	77.2	82.0	80.4	71.0	66.3	80.9	78.7	81.8	$8,282	$625	$7,657
Tomahawk Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	155 Bee Drive	Lynchburg	24502	Lynchburg city	Campbell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 237-4090	667	46	14.6	76.9%	418 (62.7%)	100 (15.0%)	81 (12.1%)	17 (2.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (7.5%)	51.2	597^th of 1111 public elementary schools	46.3%		51.7	578^th of 1110 public elementary schools	47.9%	19	76.4	81.3	70.2	53.5	75.5	75.0	67.5	73.0	$7,481	$432	$7,050

Frequently Asked Questions about John L. Hurt Elementary

What is the racial makeup of John L. Hurt Elementary?

Students at John L. Hurt Elementary are 68% White, 25% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of John L. Hurt Elementary attend?

Students who attend John L. Hurt Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Gretna Middle
High : Gretna High

How many students attend John L. Hurt Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 257 students attended John L. Hurt Elementary.

Is John L. Hurt Elementary a good school?

John L. Hurt Elementary ranks 179^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is John L. Hurt Elementary in?

Pittsylvania County Public Schools

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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.