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Sonnie Penn Elementary

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5
191st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools
Better than 83% of Virginia elementary schools
Summary

Sonnie Penn Elementary is a public school in Woodbridge, Virginia, serving 744 students in grades PK–5 as part of Prince William County Public Schools. The school ranks 191st out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools (83rd percentile, 4 stars) in the 2025–2026 school year — the highest among 10 nearby elementary schools in the same district, ahead of Westridge Elementary (#242) and Thurgood Marshall Elementary (#277). This strong standing reflects a decade of steady improvement, climbing from the 34th percentile in 2015–2016 to its current top-quartile position.

Academically, Sonnie Penn exceeds both district and state averages in every subject and grade tested. In 5th grade, 88.72% of students passed the math SOL and 87.22% passed science — the highest scores among all 11 schools in its comparison group. These results are especially notable given that nearly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. By comparison, Enterprise Elementary, which has a similar poverty rate, ranks 778th — nearly 600 spots lower. Even Thurgood Marshall Elementary, with a much lower poverty rate, still ranks below Sonnie Penn. The school also delivers these results efficiently, spending about $11,070 per student, while several lower-performing neighbors such as Enterprise ($14,930) and Kerrydale Elementary ($15,555) spend considerably more.

Sonnie Penn also stands out for its exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 7.3% — roughly half the district rate of 13.8% and the state rate of 14.8%. The school is particularly effective at serving historically underserved student groups, with top-quartile rankings for African American, Hispanic, English Learner, and low-income students. Areas for future focus include military-connected students (20th percentile) and students with disabilities, though the latter group has improved dramatically from the 15th percentile to the 50th in just two years.

744
Students ?
16.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$11,070
Per pupil spending ?
69.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 12980 Queen Chapel Rd
       Woodbridge, VA  22193

(703) 590-0344

District: Prince William County Public Schools


Students who attend Sonnie Penn Elementary usually attend:

High:    Charles J. Colgan Senior High
Racial breakdown:

African American:
28.8%
Asian:
24.3%
White:
19.6%
more
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 Compare Sonnie Penn Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2016 → 83rd in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Virginia average (85% vs 72% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 17% of Virginia elementary schools
✓Ranking is trending up — up 49 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 school85%
District avg77%
Virginia avg72%
191st of 1,111
Virginia public elementary schools ?
Top 17%▲ up 49 pts since 2016
From bottom 34% (2016) to top 17% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
13th of 65Elementary Schools in the Prince William County Public Schools
46th of 131Prince William 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202680.8191 of 111182.8%★★★★☆
202574.7293 of 111073.6%★★★★☆
202470.3350 of 111468.6%★★★☆☆
202373.6285 of 111474.4%★★★★☆
202279.1219 of 110980.3%★★★★☆
202176.5257 of 110376.7%★★★★☆
201983.6108 of 110590.2%★★★★★
201875.7214 of 109780.5%★★★★☆
201753.5573 of 109947.9%★★☆☆☆
201643.6724 of 109633.9%★★☆☆☆
201544.6708 of 110035.6%★★☆☆☆
201458.6462 of 111058.4%★★★☆☆
201369.9306 of 112072.7%★★★★☆
201266.1338 of 111769.7%★★★☆☆
201160.9434 of 111761.1%★★★☆☆
201067.0332 of 111370.2%★★★★☆
200970.2275 of 108274.6%★★★★☆
200871.2252 of 108176.7%★★★★☆
200746.7664 of 108338.7%★★☆☆☆
200661.1422 of 107160.6%★★★☆☆
200561.3418 of 106260.6%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202686.243 of 59192.7%★★★★★
202590.819 of 57996.7%★★★★★
202471.9145 of 58875.3%★★★★☆
202376.997 of 57983.2%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202662.8106 of 24656.9%★★★☆☆
202540.9168 of 24932.5%★★☆☆☆
202442.1166 of 23830.3%★★☆☆☆
202335.4171 of 23025.7%★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202655.2209 of 42050.2%★★★☆☆
202428.0303 of 35514.6%★☆☆☆☆
202327.5277 of 32414.5%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202686.226 of 31591.7%★★★★★
202573.579 of 32675.8%★★★★☆
202481.639 of 30687.3%★★★★☆
202389.120 of 30093.3%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202676.9230 of 110079.1%★★★★☆
202570.6323 of 109670.5%★★★★☆
202468.3358 of 109867.4%★★★☆☆
202375.8241 of 110078.1%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202683.071 of 61988.5%★★★★☆
202575.2128 of 60678.9%★★★★☆
202484.256 of 58090.3%★★★★★
202383.058 of 56489.7%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202686.860 of 104094.2%★★★★★
202577.4165 of 104684.2%★★★★☆
202472.1234 of 103677.4%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202681.7155 of 109985.9%★★★★☆
202576.2259 of 109376.3%★★★★☆
202469.3346 of 110168.6%★★★☆☆
202368.1346 of 109368.3%★★★☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202630.7165 of 20619.9%★☆☆☆☆
202526.0163 of 19215.1%★☆☆☆☆
202341.4122 of 18233.0%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202644.8189 of 30638.2%★★☆☆☆
202547.7159 of 27141.3%★★☆☆☆
202378.046 of 24581.2%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202674.0215 of 97477.9%★★★★☆
202568.7298 of 97369.4%★★★☆☆
202466.0326 of 97966.7%★★★☆☆
202372.5224 of 98477.2%★★★★☆
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)94th percentile+11 vs school
African American (2026)93rd percentile+10 vs school
English Language Learner (2026)92nd percentile+9 vs school
Hispanic (2026)89th percentile+6 vs school
Male (2026)86th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2026)79th percentile-4 vs school
White (2026)78th percentile-5 vs school
Asian (2026)57th percentile-26 vs school
Disabled (2026)50th percentile-33 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)38th percentile-45 vs school
Military Connected (2026)20th percentile-63 vs school
By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?
Science87%+18 vs state
VA Studies86%+15 vs state
Mathematics86%+12 vs state
English Reading83%+12 vs state

3.0
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
5★1
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What people are saying
by a parent
Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Open Quote My kids currently attend Penn. They transferred from Westridge Elementary. I was very nervous and skeptical because Westridge is such a great school. Fortunately, my experience has been so far awesome. The teachers my children have are outstanding (Ms. Adams and Ms. Henry). In 5th grade, I notice that the teachers encourage and expect the 5th graders to apply themselves, take initiative, and be responsible for completing their assignments to help prepare them for middle school.

The principal and staff have been very professional, involved and caring. All I can say at this point, is that the transition from Westridge to Penn has been absolutely great, and I am a very picky and involved parent! Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, January 30, 2015

Open Quote I found out two months after the fact that my child had not been taking any of the ready tests in class. I found out at a conference, in which myself and my wife were told "you should be making sure he is doing these test's or he will not move up to the next grade." DO WHAT, I am sorry but I make sure homework is done and everything is taken care of here, now your going to tell me that we need to be there doing your job. OK pay me and I will, and the staff can go home, I am getting ready to retire anyway. The kids would probably get a better education, the whole staff seems very lazy and act like they don't care, its always the parents fault, especially if you are like us and a military family. Good riddance and thank you PWCS for helping my child move to a much better school. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about Sonnie Penn Elementary

Sonnie Penn Elementary ranks 191st of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Sonnie Penn Elementary are 29% African American, 24% Asian, 20% White, 18% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races.

Students who attend Sonnie Penn Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Charles J. Colgan Senior High

In the 2024-25 school year, 744 students attended Sonnie Penn Elementary.

Rate Sonnie Penn 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.

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