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J.L. Francis Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

988^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

J.L. Francis Elementary is a PK–5 school in Richmond, VA, serving 526 students in the Richmond City Public Schools district, a division that ranks in the bottom 10% of Virginia school districts. The school itself ranked 988th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools in 2025–2026 (11th percentile), and it serves an intensely high-poverty population—99.24% of students qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025, consistent with neighboring Richmond elementary schools but far higher than nearby Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Despite the low overall ranking, J.L. Francis has one remarkable strength: 5th-grade mathematics. In 2025–2026, 81.82% of 5th graders were proficient in math on the Virginia SOL—above the state average of 72.39%, far above the district average of 55.43%, and higher than every other nearby elementary school, including Broad Rock Elementary (52.43%), Cardinal Elementary (62.70%), and J.G. Hening Elementary (60.77%). This is no one-year blip: proficiency has climbed steadily from 65.93% in 2022–2023. The school also shows relative strength with English Learner students (43rd percentile statewide), while its other subgroups rank in the bottom quarter. Chronic absenteeism has improved from 26.4% in 2021–2022 to 17.6% in 2024–2025, now below the district average of 20.5%.

In other subjects, the picture is far grimmer. Only 21.52% of 4th graders scored proficient in Virginia Studies in 2025–2026—the lowest rate among 10 nearby schools and far below the state average of 70.52%—and 4th-grade reading proficiency was just 41.03%, well below the state's 73.70%. The contrast with Broad Rock Elementary, just 0.56 miles away with nearly identical demographics and attendance, is striking: Broad Rock outperforms J.L. Francis in nearly every subject, yet J.L. Francis decisively beats Broad Rock in 5th-grade math (81.82% vs. 52.43%). For parents, the key takeaway is that J.L. Francis is a school of stark contrasts—an exceptional 5th-grade math program inside a school that otherwise struggles—and the central question is whether the strategies behind that math success can extend to other subjects and grade levels.

526

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,278

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5146 Snead Rd
Richmond, VA 23224-6092

(804) 745-3702

District: Richmond City Public Schools

Students who attend J.L. Francis Elementary usually attend:

High:	Franklin Military Academy
	Open High
	Richmond Community High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.9%

African American:

35.7%

White:

5.5%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare J.L. Francis Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (49% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg52%

Virginia avg72%

988^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 19% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 26Elementary Schools in the Richmond City Public Schools

118^th of 131Richmond 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	14.9	988 of 1111	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	928 of 1110	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	972 of 1114	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	991 of 1114	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	990 of 1109	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	6.6	1043 of 1103	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	968 of 1105	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	960 of 1097	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	7.8	1059 of 1099	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	28.9	893 of 1096	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.6	967 of 1100	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	18.0	1024 of 1110	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	15.1	1049 of 1120	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	34.5	878 of 1117	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.4	1000 of 1117	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.2	1003 of 1113	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.4	1046 of 1082	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	27.5	926 of 1081	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.8	857 of 1083	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.5	968 of 1071	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	14.0	1009 of 1062	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	446 of 591	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.5	367 of 579	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	395 of 588	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.2	463 of 579	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	44.1	179 of 315	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.3	126 of 326	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	148 of 306	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.5	119 of 300	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	15.1	982 of 1100	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	949 of 1096	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	1022 of 1098	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	997 of 1100	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	493 of 619	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.1	444 of 606	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.0	453 of 580	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	445 of 564	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	27.5	833 of 1040	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.7	681 of 1046	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	670 of 1036	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	15.3	983 of 1099	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.8	889 of 1093	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	906 of 1101	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	969 of 1093	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)43rd percentile+32 vs school

African American (2026)25th percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)11th percentile~ school

Male (2026)11th percentile~ school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics60%-13 vs state

Science56%-13 vs state

English Reading44%-27 vs state

VA Studies22%-49 vs state

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Schools Near J.L. Francis 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
J.L. Francis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5146 Snead Rd	Richmond	23224	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 745-3702	526	37	14.2	99.2%	29 (5.5%)	188 (35.7%)	289 (54.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.0%)	14.9	988^th of 1111 public elementary schools	11.1%		20	928^th of 1110 public elementary schools	16.4%	60	56.4	43.0	81.8	55.7	39.8	41.0	51.9	21.5	$11,278	$541	$10,737
Broad Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4615 Ferguson Ln	Richmond	23234	Chesterfield County	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-5048	612	41	14.7	99.3%	11 (1.8%)	231 (37.7%)	361 (59.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.5%)	20.7	934^th of 1111 public elementary schools	15.9%		14.9	983^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	11.4%	49	61.5	68.4	52.4	49.5	53.8	61.7	56.4	60.2	$13,168	$1,150	$12,018
Cardinal Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1745 Catalina Dr	Richmond	23224	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-5082	821	52	15.7	99.6%	12 (1.5%)	92 (11.2%)	709 (86.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	14.8	991^st of 1111 public elementary schools	10.8%		7.9	1045^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.9%	54	70.1	57.4	62.7	50.0	49.6	43.4	39.8	41.1	$10,372	$443	$9,930
G.H. Reid Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1301 Whitehead Rd	Richmond	23225	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 745-3550	671	41	16.5	99.1%	3 (0.4%)	248 (37.0%)	407 (60.7%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.2%)	8	1043^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	6.1%		3.7	1081^st of 1110 public elementary schools	2.6%	38	48.7	60.8	47.3	50.6	32.1	49.0	46.5	45.5	$9,993	$518	$9,474
Bensley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4724 Hopkins Road	North Chesterfield	23234	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 743-3610	615	56	11.0	77.6%	19 (3.1%)	100 (16.3%)	481 (78.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	3	1089^th of 1111 public elementary schools	2.0%		5.5	1071^st of 1110 public elementary schools	3.5%	18	29.0	57.4	38.4	28.7	27.9	42.0	34.9	30.7	$9,550	$885	$8,665
Falling Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4800 Hopkins Rd.	North Chesterfield	23234	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 743-3630	823	77	10.7	77.5%	56 (6.8%)	241 (29.3%)	500 (60.8%)	11 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.6%)	5.1	1070^th of 1111 public elementary schools	3.7%		8.8	1038^th of 1110 public elementary schools	6.5%	32	53.5	38.6	41.9	47.5	33.0	48.4	50.0	42.6	$9,362	$1,116	$8,246
J.A. Chalkley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3301 Turner Road	Chesterfield	23832	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 674-1300	835	89	9.3	77.7%	51 (6.1%)	380 (45.5%)	364 (43.6%)	12 (1.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.9%)	7.8	1047^th of 1111 public elementary schools	5.8%		7.9	1046^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.8%	1	41.4	54.9	56.9	38.8	34.9	52.9	55.2	39.3	$8,391	$1,202	$7,190
J.G. Hening Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5230 Chicora Dr.	North Chesterfield	23234	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 743-3655	877	75	11.7	77.4%	80 (9.1%)	395 (45.0%)	352 (40.1%)	13 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.2%)	12.9	1005^th of 1111 public elementary schools	9.5%		12.6	1003^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	9.6%	2	52.8	49.3	60.8	56.9	44.4	50.3	62.3	42.3	$7,530	$501	$7,029
Miles Jones Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Beaufont Hill Drive	Richmond	23225	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 319-3185	505	37	13.7	99.0%	20 (4.0%)	271 (53.7%)	200 (39.6%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.8%)	2.7	1092^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	1.7%		4.1	1079^th of 1110 public elementary schools	2.8%	13	48.7	43.2	46.9	34.6	26.7	44.3	39.5	30.7	$10,426	$656	$9,770
Swansboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3160 Midlothian Tnpk	Richmond	23224	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-5030	172	17	10.3	98.3%	7 (4.1%)	114 (66.3%)	46 (26.7%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	5.2	1068^th of 1111 public elementary schools	3.9%		19	942^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	15.1%	126	55.9	52.8	40.7	33.3	27.3	42.9	38.5	47.2	$21,515	$1,645	$19,870

Frequently Asked Questions about J.L. Francis Elementary

What district is J.L. Francis Elementary in?

Richmond City Public Schools

Is J.L. Francis Elementary a good school?

J.L. Francis Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.1% of Virginia elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of J.L. Francis Elementary?

Students at J.L. Francis Elementary are 55% Hispanic, 36% African American, 6% White, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of J.L. Francis Elementary attend?

Students who attend J.L. Francis Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Franklin Military Academy
High : Open High
High : Richmond Community High

How many students attend J.L. Francis Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 526 students attended J.L. Francis 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.