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Penn Forest Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

68^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 94% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Penn Forest Elementary is a public elementary school in Roanoke, Virginia, serving 406 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the highly-ranked Roanoke County Public Schools district and has consistently performed exceptionally well, ranking in the top 10% of Virginia elementary schools for the past several years.

Penn Forest Elementary students consistently outperform the district and state averages in standardized test scores, particularly in Mathematics, where 3rd-grade students achieved a 96.49% proficiency rate compared to 83.86% for the district and 72.89% for the state. The school has also shown exceptional performance across different student subgroups, including female students, male students, Asian students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Compared to nearby schools, Penn Forest Elementary consistently outperforms other Roanoke County Public Schools, such as Oak Grove Elementary, Back Creek Elementary, and Clearbrook Elementary. The school's strong academic performance, low chronic absenteeism rates, and favorable student-teacher ratio contribute to its consistent 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, making it an exceptional choice for families in the Roanoke area.

408

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,913

Per pupil spending ?

28.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6328 Merriman Rd
Roanoke, VA 24018

(540) 772-7590

District: Roanoke County Public Schools

Students who attend Penn Forest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cave Spring Middle
High:	Cave Spring High

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.4%

Two or more races:

9.1%

Asian:

8.8%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Penn Forest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 88th percentile in 2015 → 94th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (91% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of Virginia elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school91%

District avg83%

Virginia avg71%

68^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 6%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to top 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 16Elementary Schools in the Roanoke County Public Schools

10^th of 129Roanoke 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
2025	88.7	68 of 1110	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	87.1	84 of 1114	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	88.8	62 of 1114	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	89.3	66 of 1109	94.0%	★★★★★
2021	90.7	62 of 1103	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	80.2	164 of 1105	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	86.0	76 of 1097	93.1%	★★★★★
2017	77.7	183 of 1099	83.3%	★★★★☆
2016	81.9	126 of 1096	88.5%	★★★★☆
2015	81.8	130 of 1100	88.2%	★★★★☆
2014	85.3	87 of 1110	92.2%	★★★★★
2013	85.7	80 of 1120	92.9%	★★★★★
2012	84.5	62 of 1117	94.4%	★★★★★
2011	82.6	77 of 1117	93.1%	★★★★★
2010	76.4	157 of 1113	85.9%	★★★★☆
2009	75.2	190 of 1082	82.4%	★★★★☆
2008	79.8	113 of 1081	89.5%	★★★★☆
2007	77.0	158 of 1083	85.4%	★★★★☆
2006	81.9	87 of 1071	91.9%	★★★★★
2005	75.3	196 of 1062	81.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	88.9	1 of 238	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	86.2	5 of 230	97.8%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	58.5	157 of 355	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	83.3	23 of 324	92.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	88.2	59 of 1096	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	87.3	71 of 1098	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	84.8	104 of 1100	90.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	86.4	68 of 1046	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	87.2	52 of 1036	95.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	86.3	85 of 1093	92.2%	★★★★★
2024	84.2	122 of 1101	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	89.6	40 of 1093	96.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	141 of 973	85.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	147 of 979	85.0%	★★★★☆
2023	80.4	107 of 984	89.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Asian (2024)100th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)95th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)92nd percentile~ school

White (2025)86th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2024)56th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Science97%+28 vs state

English Reading92%+22 vs state

Mathematics91%+19 vs state

VA Studies81%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Penn Forest Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)			SOL Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)			SOL VA Studies (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
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%)	88.7	68^th of 1110 public elementary schools	93.9%		87.1	84^th of 1114 public elementary schools	92.5%	16	96.5	88.9	90.0	97.1	91.4	92.6	92.8	81.3	$10,913	$424	$10,489
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%)	84.8	125^th of 1110 public elementary schools	88.7%		87.9	72^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	93.5%	53	91.2	85.4	88.9	91.7	86.8	94.3	83.3	78.8	$10,102	$332	$9,770
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%)	81.7	186^th of 1110 public elementary schools	83.2%		66.4	406^th of 1114 public elementary schools	63.6%	220	85.5	80.3	93.6	87.2	81.7	88.6	85.9	79.7	$8,973	$460	$8,513
Clearbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5205 Franklin Rd	Roanoke	24014	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7555	320	24	13.6	40.0%	222 (69.4%)	23 (7.2%)	22 (6.9%)	24 (7.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.8%)	79	230^th of 1110 public elementary schools	79.3%		79.7	217^th of 1114 public elementary schools	80.5%	13	81.3	98.0	78.0	84.8	75.0	85.7	81.0	95.8	$10,169	$478	$9,691
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%)	83	161^st of 1110 public elementary schools	85.5%		77	257^th of 1114 public elementary schools	76.9%	96	92.5	87.5	94.1	78.4	86.8	87.2	90.0	74.5	$12,221	$2,570	$9,651
Fishburn Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3057 Colonial Ave SW	Roanoke	24015	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 853-2931	279	28	10.0	101.8%	125 (44.8%)	83 (29.7%)	31 (11.1%)	12 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (10.0%)	35.2	769^th of 1110 public elementary schools	30.7%		28.5	860^th of 1114 public elementary schools	22.8%	91	68.4	55.3	66.7	63.2	71.1	51.4	77.5	45.7	$15,775	$1,499	$14,276
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%)	80.5	207^th of 1110 public elementary schools	81.4%		82.6	161^st of 1114 public elementary schools	85.5%	46	80.0	83.1	85.0	85.0	85.9	87.5	86.7	84.4	$11,876	$466	$11,410
Crystal Spring Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2620 Carolina Ave SW	Roanoke	24014	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 853-2976	323	22	14.9	100.9%	262 (81.1%)	18 (5.6%)	21 (6.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.5%)	86.7	90^th of 1110 public elementary schools	91.9%		80.5	213^th of 1114 public elementary schools	80.9%	123	96.2	84.6	95.8	91.1	92.2	88.2	89.1	79.3	$13,186	$1,222	$11,965
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%)	92.6	21^st of 1110 public elementary schools	98.1%		85.8	106^th of 1114 public elementary schools	90.5%	85	95.8	95.7	93.0	95.4	91.7	95.7	95.4	89.1	$11,782	$637	$11,145
Wasena Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1125 Sherwood Ave SW	Roanoke	24015	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 853-2914	247	19	13.2	100.0%	131 (53.0%)	54 (21.9%)	35 (14.2%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.1%)	69.9	356^th of 1110 public elementary schools	67.9%		43.1	692^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	37.9%	336	82.4	81.1	74.3	76.5	76.5	86.5	76.5	77.8	$12,172	$2,175	$9,998

Frequently Asked Questions about Penn Forest Elementary

How many students attend Penn Forest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 408 students attended Penn Forest Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Penn Forest Elementary?

Students at Penn Forest Elementary are 67% White, 9% Two or more races, 9% Asian, 8% African American, 6% Hispanic.

What district is Penn Forest Elementary in?

Roanoke County Public Schools

Is Penn Forest Elementary a good school?

Yes. Penn Forest Elementary ranks in the top 6.1% of Virginia elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Penn Forest Elementary attend?

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

Middle : Cave Spring Middle
High : Cave Spring High

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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.