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Rich Valley Elementary

Q: Is Rich Valley Elementary a good school?

Rich Valley Elementary ranks 213 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

213^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Rich Valley Elementary in Saltville, VA, is a small rural school serving 126 students in grades PK–5 as part of Smyth County Public Schools, and it has quietly become one of the stronger elementary schools in the region. Despite serving a student body where virtually every child qualifies for free or reduced lunch, the school ranks in the 81st percentile of Virginia elementary schools and carries a 4-star rating. Students are scoring well above district and state averages in most subjects, including 100% proficiency in 5th grade math, 91.7% in 5th grade science, and 94.1% in 4th grade reading.

What makes Rich Valley particularly noteworthy is how it compares to neighboring schools. Its 81st percentile rank puts it ahead of Marion Elementary (68th percentile), Chilhowie Elementary (72nd), and Oak Point Elementary (58th). The one school that outpaces it is nearby Saltville Elementary, which ranks in the 97th percentile. Rich Valley also posts dramatically better attendance than schools in Tazewell County Public Schools — just 10.6% chronic absenteeism compared to roughly 25% at Tazewell Intermediate, Richlands Elementary, and Cedar Bluff Elementary. The school also invests heavily in its students, spending about $12,975 per child with a low 11.3-to-1 student-teacher ratio.

Rich Valley's recovery from the pandemic has been striking, climbing from the 27th percentile in 2021–2022 to the 81st–86th percentile in recent years. Economically disadvantaged students at the school ranked in the 84th percentile statewide, a strong signal that the school is effectively supporting its core population. One caveat: with only 126 students, grade-level cohorts are tiny, so proficiency rates can swing from year to year. Third grade math dipped to 65% proficiency in the most recent year, and subgroup rankings fluctuate. But the school's overall 4-star rating has remained steady, making it a dependable choice for families in the Saltville area.

126

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,975

Per pupil spending ?

101.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

196 Long Hollow Rd
Saltville, VA 24370

(276) 624-3314

District: Smyth County Public Schools

Students who attend Rich Valley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Northwood Middle
High:	Northwood High

Racial breakdown:

White:

98.4%

African American:

0.8%

Hispanic:

0.8%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Rich Valley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 81st percentile in 2016 → 81st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (87% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Virginia elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school87%

District avg80%

Virginia avg72%

213^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 7Elementary Schools in the Smyth County Public Schools

17^th of 131Smyth 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	79.1	213 of 1111	80.8%	★★★★☆
2025	83.5	154 of 1110	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	77.3	253 of 1114	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	57.0	520 of 1114	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.2	806 of 1109	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	51.1	572 of 1103	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	82.2	127 of 1105	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	132 of 1097	88.0%	★★★★☆
2017	79.3	159 of 1099	85.5%	★★★★☆
2016	76.3	203 of 1096	81.5%	★★★★☆
2015	87.4	38 of 1100	96.5%	★★★★★
2014	66.8	337 of 1110	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.1	593 of 1120	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	62.6	397 of 1117	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.3	501 of 1117	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.7	366 of 1113	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.5	348 of 1082	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.0	407 of 1081	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.0	505 of 1083	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.4	459 of 1071	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	53.3	533 of 1062	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	66.6	384 of 1100	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	91.6	19 of 1098	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	33.5	816 of 1100	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	76.5	168 of 1036	83.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	56.4	516 of 1101	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.9	338 of 1093	69.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	336 of 974	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.1	278 of 973	71.4%	★★★★☆
2024	57.8	452 of 979	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.7	674 of 984	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2024)84th percentile+6 vs school

White (2026)66th percentile-15 vs school

Female (2026)65th percentile-16 vs school

Male (2024)53rd percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies94%+23 vs state

Science92%+23 vs state

English Reading88%+16 vs state

Mathematics82%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rich Valley 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	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rich Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	196 Long Hollow Rd	Saltville	24370	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 624-3314	126	11	11.3	101.6%	124 (98.4%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	79.1	213^th of 1111 public elementary schools	80.8%		83.5	154^th of 1110 public elementary schools	86.1%	59	65.0	88.2	100.0	91.7	85.0	94.1	83.3	93.8		$12,975	$2,582	$10,393
Saltville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1013 E Main St	Saltville	24370	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 496-4751	189	16	11.5	101.6%	173 (91.5%)	3 (1.6%)	5 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.2%)	90.6	37^th of 1111 public elementary schools	96.7%		89.8	53^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	95.2%	16	94.3	90.9	100.0	95.0	82.9	100.0	90.0	90.9		$12,996	$1,838	$11,157
Oak Point Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	138 Oak Point Dr	Marion	24354	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 783-2609	352	31	11.3	118.2%	331 (94.0%)	8 (2.3%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.4%)	60.6	467^th of 1111 public elementary schools	58.0%		27.2	860^th of 1110 public elementary schools	22.5%	393	81.6	71.7	76.5	76.5	81.6	69.6	80.4	68.9		$12,216	$1,764	$10,452
Chilhowie Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	130 East Lee Hwy	Chilhowie	24319	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 646-8220	589	41	14.4	100.0%	536 (91.0%)	17 (2.9%)	26 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	72.4	314^th of 1111 public elementary schools	71.7%		79.8	218^th of 1110 public elementary schools	80.4%	96	81.1	85.0	84.5	79.6	67.8	83.8	80.6	84.6		$8,497	$1,350	$7,146
Smyth County Virtual	Public, Virtual	K-2	121 Bagley Circle	Marion	24354	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(276) 783-3791	339	20	16.9		132 (38.9%)	102 (30.1%)	49 (14.5%)	9 (2.7%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (13.0%)								(n/a)
Marion Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	188 Star Mountain Dr	Marion	24354	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 783-3021	298	22	13.7	100.3%	264 (88.6%)	17 (5.7%)	9 (3.0%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	69.2	360^th of 1111 public elementary schools	67.6%		65.7	407^th of 1110 public elementary schools	63.3%	47	84.3	81.0	81.8	70.5	82.4	84.5	70.5	77.6		$9,863	$1,490	$8,374
Atkins Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5903 Lee Hwy	Atkins	24311	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 783-3366	168	17	9.7	99.4%	156 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	52.9	581^st of 1111 public elementary schools	47.7%		58.7	496^th of 1110 public elementary schools	55.3%	85	80.0	65.4	66.7	70.8	64.0	73.1	83.3	76.0		$10,733	$1,670	$9,063
Cedar Bluff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1089 Cedar Valley Drive	Cedar Bluff	24609	Tazewell County	Tazewell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 963-5765	308	22	14.0	91.6%	294 (95.5%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (1.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	59.6	483^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	56.5%		71.3	338^th of 1110 public elementary schools	69.5%	145	69.4	79.6	63.3	67.4	79.4	85.2	83.7	72.2		$9,110	$1,815	$7,295
Belfast Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	646 Belfast School Rd.	Rosedale	24280	Russell County	Russell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 880-2283	141	10	14.7	91.5%	137 (97.2%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	84.1	142^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	87.2%		93.2	16^th of 1110 public elementary schools	98.6%	126	100.0	87.5	82.4	88.2	93.3	87.5	94.1	75.0	≥ 50%	$6,294	$1,079	$5,215
Richlands Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	309 East Front Street	Richlands	24641	Tazewell County	Tazewell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 964-4112	576	42	13.7	90.5%	554 (96.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.0%)	77	251^st of 1111 public elementary schools	77.4%		70.1	351^st of 1110 public elementary schools	68.4%	100	79.0	81.6	87.9	73.6	75.3	88.9	89.0	89.9		$9,850	$1,554	$8,296

Frequently Asked Questions about Rich Valley Elementary

What district is Rich Valley Elementary in?

Smyth County Public Schools

How many students attend Rich Valley Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 126 students attended Rich Valley Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Rich Valley Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rich Valley Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Northwood Middle
High : Northwood High

What is the racial makeup of Rich Valley Elementary?

Students at Rich Valley Elementary are 98% White.

Is Rich Valley Elementary a good school?

Rich Valley Elementary ranks 213^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Rich Valley Elementary!

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Schools in Saltville, VA

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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.