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Back Creek Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

55^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Back Creek Elementary is a small public school in Roanoke County, Virginia, serving 274 students in grades PK–5 as part of the highly regarded Roanoke County Public Schools district. The school has earned a 5-star rating for six consecutive years and currently ranks 55th among 1,111 Virginia elementary schools, placing it in the top 5% statewide. Its upward trajectory is particularly notable—in 2018–2019 the school sat at 288th in Virginia, and by 2024–2025 it had climbed to 21st before settling at 55th in 2025–2026.

Academically, Back Creek consistently outperforms both district and state averages. In 2025–2026, 5th-grade science proficiency reached 96.1% versus a 68.8% state average, and 4th-grade math hit 95.7% versus 82.8% for the district. Reading scores are strong as well, with 3rd and 4th graders at 86.4% and 93.6% proficiency respectively. Among nearby schools, Back Creek outranks every elementary school in its own district, including Penn Forest (80th), Cave Spring (93rd), and Fort Lewis (97th), and it also beats South Salem (246th), Grandin Court (250th), and East Salem (569th) from neighboring districts.

What truly sets Back Creek apart is its performance with student groups that often face achievement gaps. In 2024–2025, economically disadvantaged students ranked 3rd in the entire state, and disabled students ranked in the 88th percentile in 2025–2026. Chronic absenteeism is strikingly low at 6.0%—less than half the state average of 14.8%—and the student-teacher ratio is a comfortable 14:1. The school spends about $11,782 per student, which is less than lower-performing schools like Fishburn Park ($15,775), demonstrating that strong outcomes here come from effective instruction and resource allocation, not simply higher spending.

274

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,782

Per pupil spending ?

22.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7130 Bent Mountain Rd
Roanoke, VA 24018

(540) 772-7565

District: Roanoke County Public Schools

Students who attend Back Creek Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cave Spring Middle
High:	Cave Spring High

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.3%

Two or more races:

4.0%

Asian:

1.8%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 84th percentile in 2016 → 95th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (91% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of Virginia elementary schools

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school91%

District avg83%

Virginia avg72%

55^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From top 16% (2016) to top 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 16Elementary Schools in the Roanoke County Public Schools

11^th of 131Roanoke 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	89.1	55 of 1111	95.0%	★★★★★
2025	92.6	21 of 1110	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	85.8	106 of 1114	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	85.8	109 of 1114	90.2%	★★★★★
2022	88.5	78 of 1109	93.0%	★★★★★
2021	84.3	148 of 1103	86.6%	★★★★☆
2019	71.9	288 of 1105	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	81.6	131 of 1097	88.1%	★★★★☆
2017	80.1	154 of 1099	86.0%	★★★★☆
2016	78.8	170 of 1096	84.5%	★★★★☆
2015	78.4	170 of 1100	84.5%	★★★★☆
2014	85.9	80 of 1110	92.8%	★★★★★
2013	76.8	202 of 1120	82.0%	★★★★☆
2012	86.6	40 of 1117	96.4%	★★★★★
2011	78.6	147 of 1117	86.8%	★★★★☆
2010	74.2	200 of 1113	82.0%	★★★★☆
2009	61.6	404 of 1082	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	73.0	227 of 1081	79.0%	★★★★☆
2007	77.0	157 of 1083	85.5%	★★★★☆
2006	80.7	99 of 1071	90.8%	★★★★★
2005	83.8	77 of 1062	92.7%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	80.0	50 of 420	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	60.4	130 of 324	59.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	89.1	45 of 1100	95.9%	★★★★★
2025	88.9	50 of 1096	95.4%	★★★★★
2024	82.6	142 of 1098	87.1%	★★★★☆
2023	81.2	159 of 1100	85.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	85.3	67 of 1040	93.6%	★★★★★
2025	98.5	3 of 1046	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	87.8	46 of 1036	95.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	85.6	93 of 1099	91.5%	★★★★★
2025	93.1	14 of 1093	98.7%	★★★★★
2024	85.2	102 of 1101	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	85.8	97 of 1093	91.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	83.9	75 of 974	92.3%	★★★★★
2025	85.7	51 of 973	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	71.3	250 of 979	74.5%	★★★★☆
2023	74.2	196 of 984	80.1%	★★★★☆

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)96th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)94th percentile~ school

White (2026)92nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)92nd percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2026)88th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Science96%+27 vs state

VA Studies94%+23 vs state

Mathematics93%+20 vs state

English Reading87%+16 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, October 8, 2017

I had to pull my child out of this school. If you have a child who has a disability, be very careful, especially on his/her IEP. They try to change my son disability, but the school I transfer him to, did not agree with the special educators at Back Creek Elementary, and therefore change it back to the correct disability on his IEP. Also, one of the special educator teachers was yelling at my child and my child would come home crying periodically. When I ask if there is another way she can speak to him, she reply, "I don't know another way". I feel if she has the experience and the back ground in special education, then there are several ways to approach a child with a disability. Every child is different and if you only have one approach, that might not work with every child. From my experience, a child who is a minority and has a disability will not be successful at this school because you are being judge as you walk through the door. If you have the passion and the experience, color should not matter. As you can see by the numbers, the diversity is not there. On another note, the principal on the other hand is not open minded and she lacks people skills, and maybe she can't understand how a parent feels because she does not have any biological kids of her own. Close Quote

Schools Near Back Creek 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
Back Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7130 Bent Mountain Rd	Roanoke	24018	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7565	274	20	14.0	22.3%	253 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.0%)	89.1	55^th of 1111 public elementary schools	95.0%		92.6	21^st of 1110 public elementary schools	98.1%	34	90.9	95.7	92.2	96.1	86.4	93.6	82.4	93.6	$11,782	$637	$11,145
Cave Spring Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5404 Springlawn Ave	Roanoke	24018	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7558	489	32	15.5	23.1%	357 (73.0%)	29 (5.9%)	40 (8.2%)	34 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.9%)	87	93^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	91.6%		84.8	125^th of 1110 public elementary schools	88.7%	32	91.5	85.4	95.5	97.8	80.3	90.5	95.5	82.8	$10,102	$332	$9,770
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5005 Grandin Rd Extension	Roanoke	24018	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7580	400	32	12.6	46.3%	277 (69.3%)	45 (11.3%)	36 (9.0%)	18 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.0%)	76.2	267^th of 1111 public elementary schools	76.0%		80.5	207^th of 1110 public elementary schools	81.4%	60	80.3	78.9	80.6	83.6	77.3	84.5	88.1	88.4	$11,876	$466	$11,410
Penn Forest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6328 Merriman Rd	Roanoke	24018	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7590	408	28	14.8	28.7%	275 (67.4%)	32 (7.8%)	26 (6.4%)	36 (8.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (9.1%)	87.7	80^th of 1111 public elementary schools	92.8%		88.7	68^th of 1110 public elementary schools	93.9%	12	92.9	90.3	84.4	92.2	89.3	91.8	89.3	88.3	$10,913	$424	$10,489
Green Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3838 Overdale Rd	Roanoke	24018	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7556	483	35	14.0	44.3%	316 (65.4%)	39 (8.1%)	62 (12.8%)	26 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.3%)	77.6	237^th of 1111 public elementary schools	78.7%		81.7	186^th of 1110 public elementary schools	83.2%	51	78.8	80.2	93.1	95.8	77.2	88.4	85.9	76.9	$8,973	$460	$8,513
South Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Carolyn Rd	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-2478	371	36	10.1	40.2%	282 (76.0%)	30 (8.1%)	36 (9.7%)	8 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	77.2	246^th of 1111 public elementary schools	77.9%		77.6	251^st of 1110 public elementary schools	77.4%	5	87.5	90.2	75.0	76.8	80.4	90.2	80.4	84.5	$10,097	$503	$9,594
Grandin Court Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2815 Spessard Ave SW	Roanoke	24015	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 853-2867	331	27	12.3	99.4%	229 (69.2%)	47 (14.2%)	29 (8.8%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.0%)	77.1	250^th of 1111 public elementary schools	77.5%		83	161^st of 1110 public elementary schools	85.5%	89	87.9	83.3	90.0	82.0	74.2	80.0	87.8	81.5	$12,221	$2,570	$9,651
East Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1765 Boulevard	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 375-7001	378	30	12.8	88.1%	163 (43.1%)	76 (20.1%)	94 (24.9%)	9 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.3%)	54.2	569^th of 1111 public elementary schools	48.8%		54.4	545^th of 1110 public elementary schools	50.9%	24	71.4	83.9	80.6	59.7	74.6	78.6	62.7	75.5	$12,726	$1,432	$11,295
G.W. Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6 Fourth St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 387-2492	404	29	13.8	88.4%	234 (57.9%)	96 (23.8%)	47 (11.6%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.7%)	80.9	190^th of 1111 public elementary schools	82.9%		72.1	325^th of 1110 public elementary schools	70.7%	135	89.5	82.3	90.4	82.2	81.1	83.3	87.7	84.4	$11,206	$1,271	$9,935
Fort Lewis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3115 West Main St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-6594	250	18	14.2	21.6%	198 (79.2%)	5 (2.0%)	18 (7.2%)	10 (4.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.2%)	86.5	97^th of 1111 public elementary schools	91.3%		87	88^th of 1110 public elementary schools	92.1%	9	94.4	94.2	94.3	85.7	94.4	86.5	82.9	84.3	$11,452	$1,716	$9,736

Frequently Asked Questions about Back Creek Elementary

How many students attend Back Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 274 students attended Back Creek Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Back Creek Elementary?

Students at Back Creek Elementary are 92% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Back Creek Elementary attend?

Students who attend Back Creek Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cave Spring Middle
High : Cave Spring High

Is Back Creek Elementary a good school?

Yes! Back Creek Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 55^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools.

What district is Back Creek Elementary in?

Roanoke County Public Schools

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresNewAug 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.