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Central Elementary

Q: Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks 614 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

614^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary is a PK–5 public school in Lexington, VA, serving 466 students as part of Rockbridge County Public Schools, a mid-tier Virginia district ranked 71st of 131. The school itself currently sits at the 45th percentile of Virginia elementary schools with a 2-star rating, placing it right around the state median—a position it has held for the past several years after hovering near the 60th percentile before the pandemic.

Central's best results come in the upper grades. In 2025-2026, 5th graders posted an 84.91% proficiency rate in math, well above the state's 72.39%, and 73.58% in science, which has climbed steadily over the past four years. Fourth grade Virginia Studies also finished strong at 80.28%. The clear area of concern is early reading: only 56.79% of 3rd graders and 67.61% of 4th graders met the reading bar, both lagging state averages. Subgroup results also vary meaningfully—female and low-income students perform near the school's overall level, while White, male, and disabled student subgroups rank lower—suggesting that improvement efforts may need to focus on consistency across all groups.

Perhaps the most striking context is geographic. Harrington Waddell Elementary sits less than a mile away in Lexington City Public Schools—Virginia's top-ranked district—and earned a 93rd-percentile, 5-star rating with only 25.43% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, compared to Central's 85.84%. Within Rockbridge County, Central outpaces Natural Bridge Elementary (10th percentile) by wide margins in every subject, but trails Fairfield Elementary and Mountain View Elementary, both at the 69th percentile. On the bright side, chronic absenteeism has fallen dramatically—from 22.9% in 2021-2022 to 13.0% in 2024-2025, now below both district and state averages. Central also spends less per student ($9,262) than most nearby elementary schools, and its 12.6 student-teacher ratio sits in the middle of the pack, making its strong upper-grade results all the more notable given relatively lean resources.

466

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,262

Per pupil spending ?

85.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

85 Central Road
Lexington, VA 24450

(540) 463-4500

District: Rockbridge County Public Schools

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Maury River Middle
High:	Rockbridge County High

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.4%

Hispanic:

11.4%

Two or more races:

4.5%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

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

!Near the bottom of Rockbridge County Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg70%

Virginia avg72%

614^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to bottom 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Rockbridge County Public Schools

71^st of 131Rockbridge 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	49.6	614 of 1111	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.8	601 of 1110	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.5	565 of 1114	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.7	583 of 1114	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.2	626 of 1109	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.9	703 of 1103	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.5	408 of 1105	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.8	613 of 1097	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	64.3	394 of 1099	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.2	492 of 1096	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	72.2	265 of 1100	75.9%	★★★★☆
2014	34.9	824 of 1110	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	43.8	706 of 1120	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.4	682 of 1117	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	32.3	916 of 1117	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	54.9	550 of 1113	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.4	617 of 1082	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	31.8	873 of 1081	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.2	910 of 1083	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	39.5	771 of 1071	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	40.2	735 of 1062	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	285 of 420	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	51.9	578 of 1100	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.5	578 of 1096	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.5	446 of 1098	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.8	475 of 1100	56.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	47.2	590 of 1040	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.5	588 of 1046	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.7	624 of 1036	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	674 of 1099	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.7	624 of 1093	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	707 of 1101	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.1	678 of 1093	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	823 of 974	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.3	796 of 973	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	745 of 979	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	800 of 984	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)47th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)39th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2026)32nd percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies80%+10 vs state

Mathematics75%~ state avg

Science74%+5 vs state

English Reading64%-7 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Central 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 Civics and Economics (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	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 7th 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 English Reading 7th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Central Road	Lexington	24450	Lexington city	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 463-4500	466	37	12.6	85.8%	370 (79.4%)	17 (3.6%)	53 (11.4%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.5%)	49.6	614^th of 1111 public elementary schools	44.7%		49.8	601^st of 1110 public elementary schools	45.9%	13	70.9	71.8	84.9		73.6	56.8	67.6	71.7				80.3	$9,262	$1,144	$8,118
Harrington Waddell Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Pendleton Place	Lexington	24450	Lexington city	Lexington City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 463-5353	350	24	14.5	25.4%	266 (76.0%)	22 (6.3%)	21 (6.0%)	16 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.1%)	88	76^th of 1111 public elementary schools	93.2%		91.2	33^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	97.0%	43	88.5	89.1	100.0		92.5	77.4	90.9	96.2				90.6	$9,454	$932	$8,522
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20 Burger Circle	Buena Vista	24416	Buena Vista city	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 261-2418	154	14	10.6	97.4%	136 (88.3%)	4 (2.6%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.5%)	70.7	343^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	69.1%		56.1	532^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	52.1%	189	73.9	94.4	79.0		84.2	56.5	88.9	89.5				94.4	$12,304	$1,272	$11,032
F.W. Kling Junior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	3400 Lombardy Ave	Buena Vista	24416	Buena Vista city	Buena Vista City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 261-6717	177	15	11.8	94.9%	129 (72.9%)	9 (5.1%)	13 (7.3%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	22 (12.4%)								(n/a)													$7,008	$1,785	$5,223
Enderly Heights Elementary	Public	2-5	101 Woodland Ave	Buena Vista	24416	Buena Vista city	Buena Vista City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 261-6151	268	21	12.7	92.2%	213 (79.5%)	7 (2.6%)	21 (7.8%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.5%)	60	476^th of 1111 public elementary schools	57.2%		57.4	511^th of 1110 public elementary schools	54.0%	35	51.6	74.1	88.4		78.3	60.0	84.5	84.1				80.4	$10,062	$1,512	$8,550
Fairfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20 Fairfield School Rd	Fairfield	24435	Rockbridge County	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 348-5202	241	22	11.0	79.7%	203 (84.2%)	5 (2.1%)	15 (6.2%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.8%)	70.5	346^th of 1111 public elementary schools	68.9%		53.3	561^st of 1110 public elementary schools	49.5%	215	87.0	91.2	80.6		63.9	82.6	85.3	66.7				85.3	$13,163	$1,744	$11,419
Natural Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	42 Natural Bridge School Rd.	Natural Bridge Station	24579	Rockbridge County	Rockbridge County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 291-2292	230	22	10.5	98.3%	178 (77.4%)	8 (3.5%)	15 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (12.6%)	14.1	997^th of 1111 public elementary schools	10.3%		14.4	986^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.2%	11	44.2	60.6	51.7		44.8	39.5	60.6	44.8				69.7	$11,862	$1,771	$10,091
Millboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-7	411 Church Street	Millboro	24460	Bath County	Bath County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 997-5452	143	8	18.4	98.6%	136 (95.1%)	2 (1.4%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	61.4	459^th of 1111 public elementary schools	58.7%		72.2	321^st of 1110 public elementary schools	71.1%	138	80.0	75.0	87.5	68.8	87.5	50.0	81.3	81.3	66.7	75.0	68.8	75.0	$14,353	$808	$13,545
Sharon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Sharon School Cir.	Clifton Forge	24422	Alleghany County	Alleghany Highlands Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 863-1712	216	16	13.5	84.3%	188 (87.0%)	13 (6.0%)	4 (1.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	90.2	44^th of 1111 public elementary schools	96.0%		84.3	139^th of 1110 public elementary schools	87.5%	95	97.0	96.4	97.0		87.9	90.6	89.3	84.9				92.9	$11,026	$1,061	$9,965
Big Island Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1114 Schooldays Rd	Big Island	24526	Bedford County	Bedford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 299-5863	182	12	14.9	82.4%	153 (84.1%)	7 (3.8%)	9 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.6%)	56.9	527^th of 1111 public elementary schools	52.6%		51.6	580^th of 1110 public elementary schools	47.7%	53	90.3	79.2	93.3		66.7	61.3	66.7	73.3				70.8	$9,621	$757	$8,865

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 79% White, 11% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American.

Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks 614^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Maury River Middle
High : Rockbridge County High

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 466 students attended Central Elementary.

What district is Central Elementary in?

Rockbridge 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.