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Brighton Elementary

Public Grades K-6

905^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Brighton Elementary is a K–6 school in Portsmouth, VA, serving 483 students within Portsmouth City Public Schools, a district ranked in the bottom 13th percentile statewide. Despite serving a student body where nearly all families qualify for free/reduced lunch, Brighton stands out as one of the more encouraging schools in the area, ranking 905th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools in the 2025–2026 school year — a remarkable climb from the 1st percentile a decade ago.

Brighton's most impressive numbers are in attendance and upper-grade math. Chronic absenteeism has plummeted from 39.4% in 2022–2023 to just 5.0% in 2024–2025 — one-third of the state average and far better than nearby Waterview Elementary (28.0%) or P.B. Young Senior Elementary (34.9%). Academically, 5th grade math proficiency hit 83.9%, outpacing the state average of 72.4% and beating every nearby Portsmouth elementary school, including Victory Elementary (67.1%). Sixth grade math (71.7%) also exceeds both district and state averages. Science has improved dramatically too, jumping from 26.5% to 60.7% proficiency in just two years.

Reading remains Brighton's main challenge. Only 5th grade reading (60.7%) exceeds the district average, while 3rd grade reading (45.9%) and 6th grade reading (48.3%) trail significantly. Still, the school's trajectory is genuinely encouraging: it has improved in nearly every subject since 2023–2024, and its ranking now places it second among nearby Portsmouth elementaries, behind only Victory. With per-pupil spending of $11,238 — less than schools in neighboring Norfolk City Public Schools and Chesapeake City Public Schools — Brighton is delivering meaningful results within its resource constraints. If the school can translate its math and attendance momentum into reading gains, it could keep climbing the state rankings in the coming years.

483

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,238

Per pupil spending ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1100 Portsmouth Blvd.
Portsmouth, VA 23704-5630

(757) 393-8870

District: Portsmouth City Public Schools

Students who attend Brighton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cradock Middle
High:	Manor High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

83.0%

Hispanic:

6.8%

Two or more races:

6.4%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (58% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!VA Studies scores 21 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg56%

Virginia avg71%

905^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	23.9	905 of 1111	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	967 of 1110	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	997 of 1114	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	1038 of 1114	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.5	1068 of 1109	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.1	1071 of 1103	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.9	1041 of 1105	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.4	1086 of 1097	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.4	1026 of 1099	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	16.5	1005 of 1096	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	16.3	1006 of 1100	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	18.2	1021 of 1110	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.0	1078 of 1120	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	23.0	1000 of 1117	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	18.4	1052 of 1117	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	22.2	1013 of 1113	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	19.6	1005 of 1082	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	6.2	1070 of 1081	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.9	1067 of 1083	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	17.3	1001 of 1071	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	14.6	1003 of 1062	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	36.7	413 of 591	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.1	440 of 579	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	479 of 588	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	482 of 579	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	915 of 1100	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.8	983 of 1096	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	984 of 1098	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	1024 of 1100	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	42.9	657 of 1040	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.9	848 of 1046	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	873 of 1036	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	27.6	873 of 1099	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.1	913 of 1093	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	968 of 1101	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.1	981 of 1093	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	193 of 306	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2026)37th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)37th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2026)30th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)21st percentile~ school

Female (2026)17th percentile~ school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics66%-5 vs state

Science61%-8 vs state

English Reading52%-20 vs state

VA Studies50%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Brighton 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
Brighton Elementary	Public	K-6	1100 Portsmouth Blvd.	Portsmouth	23704	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8870	483	31	15.5	99.4%	15 (3.1%)	401 (83.0%)	33 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.4%)	23.9	905^th of 1111 public elementary schools	18.5%		16.4	967^th of 1110 public elementary schools	12.9%	62	56.7	56.3	83.9	71.7	60.7	45.9	52.8	60.7	48.3	50.0		$11,238	$3,029	$8,208
Park View Elementary	Public	K-6	260 Elm Ave	Portsmouth	23704	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 393-8647	400	34	11.7	101.0%	37 (9.3%)	303 (75.8%)	30 (7.5%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	21 (5.3%)	20.6	935^th of 1111 public elementary schools	15.8%		22.2	898^th of 1110 public elementary schools	19.1%	37	53.2	44.4	65.5	76.3	63.8	44.4	50.0	55.2	64.4	48.6		$11,253	$2,948	$8,305
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
Cradock Elementary	Public	K-6	18 Dahlgren Ave	Portsmouth	23702	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 558-2811	616	32	19.2	100.0%	58 (9.4%)	410 (66.6%)	78 (12.7%)	11 (1.8%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	54 (8.8%)	9.2	1033^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	7.0%		3.7	1082^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	2.5%	49	54.8	44.3	41.3	48.1	38.7	44.1	48.9	44.0	67.1	48.8		$9,399	$2,707	$6,693
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
St. Helena Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	903 S Main St	Norfolk	23523	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 494-3884	229	19	12.0	99.6%	3 (1.3%)	201 (87.8%)	9 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.0%)	7.9	1045^th of 1111 public elementary schools	5.9%		12.6	1002^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	9.7%	43	50.0	47.4	39.4		35.3	47.7	55.3	58.8		42.1	52.9	$13,366	$1,541	$11,825
Rena B. Wright Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	600 Park Ave	Chesapeake	23324	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 494-7585	300	24	12.5	74.7%	48 (16.0%)	182 (60.7%)	39 (13.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.3%)								(n/a)												$16,494	$2,538	$13,956
Truitt Intermediate	Public	3-5	1100 Holly Ave	Chesapeake	23324	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 494-8014	256	16	16.1	75.0%	46 (18.0%)	155 (60.5%)	27 (10.5%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.2%)	25.6	887^th of 1111 public elementary schools	20.2%		27	861^st of 1110 public elementary schools	22.4%	26	74.4	64.4	61.5		40.7	65.4	65.1	56.7		43.0	63.3	$15,318	$2,065	$13,253
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Brighton Elementary

What schools do graduates of Brighton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Brighton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cradock Middle
High : Manor High

What is the racial makeup of Brighton Elementary?

Students at Brighton Elementary are 83% African American, 7% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% White.

How many students attend Brighton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 483 students attended Brighton Elementary.

What district is Brighton Elementary in?

Portsmouth City Public Schools

Is Brighton Elementary a good school?

Brighton Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.5% of Virginia elementary schools.

Rate Brighton Elementary!

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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.