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Winding Creek Elementary

Q: Is Winding Creek Elementary a good school?

Winding Creek Elementary ranks 524 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

524^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Winding Creek Elementary is a K-5 school in Stafford, VA, serving about 840 students as part of Stafford County Public Schools. The school currently holds a 3-star rating, ranking 524th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools — essentially a middle-of-the-pack result statewide. It still edges out its district in overall proficiency (74% vs. 68.9% for the district), but the ranking has slipped over the past few years; Winding Creek was a 4-star school at the 71st percentile as recently as 2023-24.

Academically, the school's biggest strength is in the upper grades. Fourth and fifth graders post strong reading and math scores, and VA Studies is a standout subject with 80.7% proficiency — well above district and state averages. The clearest vulnerability is 3rd grade, where reading (62.1%) and math (69.3%) both fall below district and state averages. That suggests the school is better at accelerating students after 3rd grade than at getting 3rd graders over the proficiency bar.

Where Winding Creek really shines is attendance: only 10.3% of students are chronically absent, compared to 17.5% for the district and 14.8% statewide. The school also earns high marks for its African American students, who rank in the 90th percentile statewide, though several other subgroups have seen recent declines. Winding Creek is also efficient — it spends about $8,665 per student, less than nearby Rockhill Elementary ($10,360) or Kate Waller Barrett Elementary ($10,493), while still outperforming most local peers. Nearby Margaret Brent Elementary ranks higher overall, and Stafford Elementary matches Winding Creek's ranking, but Winding Creek has stronger attendance and upper-grade results. Overall, this is a solid middle-performing school with real strengths — but the recent multi-year decline in test scores, especially in 3rd grade, is worth watching.

840

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,235

Per pupil spending ?

35.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

475 Winding Creek Rd
Stafford, VA 22554

(540) 658-6400

District: Stafford County Public Schools

Students who attend Winding Creek Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rodney E. Thompson Middle
High:	Colonial Forge High

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.2%

African American:

23.7%

Hispanic:

21.9%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Winding Creek Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 80th percentile in 2018 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Virginia median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 80th-percentile peak (2018) to 53rd (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school74%

District avg69%

Virginia avg72%

524^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 47% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 17Elementary Schools in the Stafford County Public Schools

74^th of 131Stafford 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	57.0	524 of 1111	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.7	459 of 1110	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.4	328 of 1114	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	67.4	379 of 1114	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.5	270 of 1109	75.7%	★★★★☆
2021	72.5	302 of 1103	72.6%	★★★★☆
2019	71.1	305 of 1105	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	75.2	223 of 1097	79.7%	★★★★☆
2017	62.6	421 of 1099	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.7	578 of 1096	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	64.8	389 of 1100	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	60.4	437 of 1110	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.7	400 of 1120	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.5	331 of 1117	70.4%	★★★★☆
2011	71.4	254 of 1117	77.3%	★★★★☆
2010	65.4	359 of 1113	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	59.5	437 of 1082	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.4	351 of 1081	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.0	319 of 1083	70.5%	★★★★☆
2006	53.3	550 of 1071	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	64.9	354 of 1062	66.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	83.6	57 of 591	90.4%	★★★★★
2025	82.3	56 of 579	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	90.0	27 of 588	95.4%	★★★★★
2023	78.4	87 of 579	85.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	25.7	206 of 246	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.8	176 of 249	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.6	145 of 238	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.7	123 of 230	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	34.9	322 of 420	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	58.2	160 of 355	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.7	268 of 324	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	51.0	148 of 315	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.1	182 of 326	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	67.6	86 of 306	71.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	55.7	520 of 1100	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.0	393 of 1096	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.7	266 of 1098	75.8%	★★★★☆
2023	69.5	325 of 1100	70.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	403 of 619	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	356 of 606	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.1	274 of 580	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.6	322 of 564	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	739 of 1040	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.3	579 of 1046	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	68.8	277 of 1036	73.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	55.8	522 of 1099	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.9	506 of 1093	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.4	413 of 1101	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.9	420 of 1093	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	52.8	111 of 206	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.3	131 of 192	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.7	120 of 195	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.2	97 of 182	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	57.1	148 of 306	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.4	105 of 271	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.4	155 of 247	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.9	191 of 245	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.0	606 of 974	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.0	574 of 973	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.9	329 of 979	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.2	291 of 984	70.4%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2026)90th percentile+38 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)52nd percentile~ school

Military Connected (2026)46th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)38th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2026)35th percentile-18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)29th percentile-24 vs school

Disabled (2026)23rd percentile-30 vs school

Asian (2026)16th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies81%+10 vs state

Mathematics75%~ state avg

Science72%+4 vs state

English Reading72%~ state avg

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 5, 2016

Finest of schools. In all my many years of dealing with schools this one stand on top. They are professional, caring, and really care about the children and teachers are the best. They seem to go that extra mile in any and all situations.
All three children that I had in this school went above and beyond for the children . Kids loved their teacher and were enthusiastic to learn. I cannot imagine a better school. It is comforting to know that there are such caring schools in our area. Close Quote

Schools Near Winding 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 (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Winding Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	475 Winding Creek Rd	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6400	840	54	15.5	35.0%	296 (35.2%)	199 (23.7%)	184 (21.9%)	86 (10.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	72 (8.6%)	57	524^th of 1111 public elementary schools	52.8%		61.7	459^th of 1110 public elementary schools	58.6%	65	69.3	79.4	74.9	72.4	62.1	77.6	75.8	80.7	$10,235	$133	$10,102
Park Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	2000 Parkway Blvd	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6320	908	56	16.2	33.7%	298 (32.8%)	277 (30.5%)	169 (18.6%)	61 (6.7%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	98 (10.8%)	51.3	596^th of 1111 public elementary schools	46.4%		43.5	682^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	38.6%	86	73.0	77.9	76.1	58.1	69.7	78.5	63.0	78.3	$9,435	$155	$9,279
Anthony Burns Elementary	Public	K-5	60 Gallery Road	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 658-6000	730	52	14.0	66.3%	199 (27.3%)	245 (33.6%)	161 (22.1%)	66 (9.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	57 (7.8%)	30	842^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	24.2%		38.5	732^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	34.1%	110	74.1	55.7	66.4	56.1	64.3	65.2	68.8	46.8	$10,727	$627	$10,099
Hampton Oaks Elementary	Public	K-5	107 Northampton Blvd	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6280	887	57	15.5	33.3%	382 (43.1%)	121 (13.6%)	258 (29.1%)	35 (3.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (10.0%)	44.9	678^th of 1111 public elementary schools	39.0%		37.9	742^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	33.2%	64	69.2	75.1	59.2	59.2	66.4	76.3	68.3	76.3	$10,204	$335	$9,870
Margaret Brent Elementary	Public	K-5	2125 Mountain View Rd	Stafford	22556	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6790	796	48	16.5	22.7%	481 (60.4%)	72 (9.0%)	160 (20.1%)	12 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	66 (8.3%)	68.8	363^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	67.3%		78.1	247^th of 1110 public elementary schools	77.7%	116	83.6	78.5	85.1	80.4	75.0	80.5	85.8	65.4	$10,206	$155	$10,051
Garrisonville Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Wood Dr	Stafford	22556	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6260	735	47	15.6	37.6%	314 (42.7%)	118 (16.1%)	217 (29.5%)	28 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	53 (7.2%)	55.7	544^th of 1111 public elementary schools	51.0%		59.2	484^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.4%	60	77.4	77.4	82.4	72.1	60.0	75.4	71.6	70.8	$10,057	$141	$9,915
Rockhill Elementary	Public	K-5	50 Wood Dr	Stafford	22556	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6360	639	41	15.5	42.6%	264 (41.3%)	89 (13.9%)	177 (27.7%)	35 (5.5%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.5%)	67 (10.5%)	53.3	574^th of 1111 public elementary schools	48.3%		61.9	455^th of 1110 public elementary schools	59.0%	119	83.2	71.4	73.5	59.8	78.2	72.4	74.1	65.7	$11,206	$268	$10,938
Stafford Elementary	Public	K-5	1349 Courthouse Rd	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6340	879	53	16.5	42.8%	271 (30.8%)	215 (24.5%)	253 (28.8%)	53 (6.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	83 (9.4%)	57.1	520^th of 1111 public elementary schools	53.2%		49.4	604^th of 1110 public elementary schools	45.6%	84	67.7	84.4	72.3	66.1	69.9	77.3	74.4	80.1	$9,306	$181	$9,125
Kate Waller Barrett Elementary	Public	K-5	150 Duffey Dr.	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 658-6464	838	58	14.4	88.2%	162 (19.3%)	243 (29.0%)	317 (37.8%)	42 (5.0%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	69 (8.2%)	21.2	931^st of 1111 public elementary schools	16.2%		35.4	767^th of 1110 public elementary schools	30.9%	164	61.4	53.0	58.1	54.7	56.6	61.8	66.3	52.3	$11,302	$627	$10,675
Anne E. Moncure Elementary	Public	K-5	75 Moncure Lane	Stafford	22556	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 658-6300	852	58	14.6	94.4%	122 (14.3%)	233 (27.3%)	353 (41.4%)	95 (11.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (5.8%)	21.4	929^th of 1111 public elementary schools	16.4%		20.9	918^th of 1110 public elementary schools	17.3%	11	52.0	71.0	58.4	47.5	50.4	60.3	58.5	63.3	$12,348	$694	$11,654

Frequently Asked Questions about Winding Creek Elementary

What schools do graduates of Winding Creek Elementary attend?

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

Middle : Rodney E. Thompson Middle
High : Colonial Forge High

What district is Winding Creek Elementary in?

Stafford County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Winding Creek Elementary?

Students at Winding Creek Elementary are 35% White, 24% African American, 22% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 9% Two or more races.

Is Winding Creek Elementary a good school?

Winding Creek Elementary ranks 524^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Winding Creek Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 840 students attended Winding Creek Elementary.

Rate Winding Creek Elementary!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2023–24 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 12, 2026

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 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.