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Simonsdale Elementary

Public Grades K-6

959^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Simonsdale Elementary is a K-6 elementary school in Portsmouth, Virginia, serving 613 students in the Portsmouth City Public Schools district, where 99.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's statewide ranking has declined meaningfully over the past decade, falling from the 45th percentile in 2017-18 to the 14th percentile in 2025-26 — placing it 959th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools.

Among nearby Portsmouth elementary schools, Simonsdale sits in the lower-middle of the pack. It ranks ahead of Westhaven Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Waterview Elementary, and Douglass Park Elementary, but behind Churchland Elementary, Victory Elementary, and Hodges Manor Elementary. One of the clearest differentiators is chronic absenteeism: at 16.6%, Simonsdale's rate is above the district average of 14.8% and well above Churchland's 5.8% or Victory's 8.0%. Per-student spending is also the lowest among all nearby schools at $8,887 — below Hodges Manor's $11,018 and Lakeview's $12,417 — which may mean fewer resources for tutoring, attendance interventions, and support staff.

Despite these challenges, Simonsdale has genuine strengths. Reading proficiency in 4th and 5th grade has consistently topped district averages, and 5th grade science reached 64.4% proficiency in 2025-26, well above the district's 54.2%. Math remains a persistent weakness, especially in upper elementary: 5th grade math proficiency was 46.6% in 2025-26, versus 61.6% for the district and 72.4% for the state. Attendance, though, is trending in the right direction, improving from 28.8% chronic absenteeism in 2022-23 to 16.6% in 2024-25. For context, Edwin W. Chittum Elementary in Chesapeake, just 2.5 miles away, serves a far less concentrated low-income population (20% free/reduced lunch) and posts proficiency rates between 76% and 89%, underscoring how much achievement gaps track with concentrated poverty and district resources.

613

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,887

Per pupil spending ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4841 Clifford Street
Portsmouth, VA 23701-1004

(757) 465-2917

District: Portsmouth City Public Schools

Students who attend Simonsdale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	William E. Waters Middle
High:	Manor High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.1%

White:

40.8%

Two or more races:

8.6%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2016 → 14th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (56% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg56%

Virginia avg71%

959^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 34% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Portsmouth City Public Schools

114^th of 131Portsmouth 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	18.3	959 of 1111	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.9	902 of 1110	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	819 of 1114	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.3	699 of 1114	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	774 of 1109	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.4	870 of 1103	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.8	667 of 1105	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.9	598 of 1097	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.8	635 of 1099	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.7	720 of 1096	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	46.9	681 of 1100	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.6	696 of 1110	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.2	696 of 1120	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.2	670 of 1117	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.9	450 of 1117	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	45.9	719 of 1113	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	59.8	430 of 1082	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	49.3	630 of 1081	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	52.1	566 of 1083	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	64.2	367 of 1071	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	67.1	314 of 1062	70.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	510 of 591	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.0	488 of 579	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.1	468 of 588	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.6	327 of 579	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	901 of 1100	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.4	749 of 1096	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	673 of 1098	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	768 of 1100	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	857 of 1040	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.2	811 of 1046	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.4	703 of 1036	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	970 of 1099	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.5	987 of 1093	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	910 of 1101	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.8	628 of 1093	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	10.3	294 of 306	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	11.9	930 of 974	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.8	868 of 973	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	815 of 979	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	806 of 984	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)18th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2026)14th percentile~ school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

White (2026)5th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)4th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Science64%-4 vs state

English Reading57%-15 vs state

VA Studies56%-15 vs state

Mathematics52%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Simonsdale 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 Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Simonsdale Elementary	Public	K-6	4841 Clifford Street	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2917	613	40	15.3	99.5%	250 (40.8%)	258 (42.1%)	46 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	53 (8.6%)	18.3	959^th of 1111 public elementary schools	13.7%		21.9	902^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	18.7%	57	49.4	57.9	46.6	55.2	64.4	48.2	65.3	57.5	58.2	56.0		$8,887	$1,900	$6,987
Westhaven Elementary	Public	K-6	3701 Clifford St	Portsmouth	23707	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8855	401	35	11.4	100.0%	64 (16.0%)	268 (66.8%)	31 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (8.7%)	14.2	996^th of 1111 public elementary schools	10.4%		8.2	1043^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	6.0%	47	66.1	59.3	51.1	52.8	44.4	50.0	47.5	57.8	48.1	49.2		$11,875	$2,810	$9,065
Hodges Manor Elementary	Public	K-6	1201 Cherokee Rd	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2921	466	31	15.0	101.3%	68 (14.6%)	315 (67.6%)	39 (8.4%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.3%)	26.7	879^th of 1111 public elementary schools	20.9%		15.6	976^th of 1110 public elementary schools	12.1%	97	50.0	59.4	64.1	69.7	51.6	50.0	62.5	65.6	67.7	60.9		$11,018	$2,750	$8,268
Waterview Elementary	Public	K-6	3649 Hartford St	Portsmouth	23707	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8879	576	38	15.1	99.7%	71 (12.3%)	410 (71.2%)	43 (7.5%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	44 (7.6%)	10.4	1025^th of 1111 public elementary schools	7.7%		6.6	1058^th of 1110 public elementary schools	4.7%	33	43.5	32.9	65.7	62.9	47.8	46.4	35.7	42.9	44.3	30.9		$9,034	$2,451	$6,582
Douglass Park Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-6	34 Grand St	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(757) 393-8646	510	33	15.4	102.9%	8 (1.6%)	436 (85.5%)	46 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	18 (3.5%)	6.6	1054^th of 1111 public elementary schools	5.1%		1.9	1101^st of 1110 public elementary schools	0.8%	47	52.6	32.4	37.9	41.7	45.6	44.7	38.0	39.7	66.7	43.7		$9,237	$2,293	$6,943
Lakeview Elementary	Public	K-6	1300 Horne Ave	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-2901	439	32	13.7	100.2%	25 (5.7%)	353 (80.4%)	27 (6.2%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.4%)	13.2	1003^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	9.7%		7	1054^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.0%	51	57.8	33.3	68.3	56.7	47.5	53.3	48.4	48.3	55.0	34.4		$12,417	$3,144	$9,273
Victory Elementary	Public	K-6	2828 Greenwood Drive	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8806	586	37	15.8	100.5%	107 (18.3%)	360 (61.4%)	49 (8.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	63 (10.8%)	27.9	868^th of 1111 public elementary schools	21.9%		17.7	953^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	14.1%	85	73.8	67.9	67.1	52.0	51.3	65.5	63.0	51.9	57.1	58.0		$10,658	$2,577	$8,081
Western Branch Intermediate	Public	3-5	4013 Terry Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7941	795	46	17.2	73.7%	306 (38.5%)	286 (36.0%)	78 (9.8%)	33 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	88 (11.1%)	59.8	480^th of 1111 public elementary schools	56.8%		59.2	485^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.3%	5	80.1	79.2	77.4		69.6	75.6	75.5	72.8		71.2	76.2	$9,546	$684	$8,862
Churchland Elementary	Public	K-6	5601 Michael Ln	Portsmouth	23703	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 686-2523	721	44	16.3	99.6%	196 (27.2%)	351 (48.7%)	77 (10.7%)	13 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (11.5%)	40.1	734^th of 1111 public elementary schools	33.9%		51.3	583^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	47.5%	151	66.0	67.3	76.5	79.0	63.3	56.0	60.0	69.4	84.0	54.6		$9,406	$1,438	$7,969
Western Branch Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	4122 Terry Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7951	801	48	16.6	73.7%	272 (34.0%)	305 (38.1%)	99 (12.4%)	29 (3.6%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	92 (11.5%)								(n/a)												$9,100	$499	$8,602

Frequently Asked Questions about Simonsdale Elementary

How many students attend Simonsdale Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 613 students attended Simonsdale Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Simonsdale Elementary?

Students at Simonsdale Elementary are 42% African American, 41% White, 9% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic.

Is Simonsdale Elementary a good school?

Simonsdale Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.7% of Virginia elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Simonsdale Elementary attend?

Students who attend Simonsdale Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : William E. Waters Middle
High : Manor High

What district is Simonsdale Elementary in?

Portsmouth City 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.