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Bessie Weller Elementary

Q: Is Bessie Weller Elementary a good school?

Bessie Weller Elementary ranks 470 th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

470^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Bessie Weller Elementary is a public elementary school located in Staunton, Virginia, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 377 students. The school is part of the Staunton City Public Schools district, which is ranked 29 out of 129 districts in Virginia and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bessie Weller Elementary has shown a mixed academic performance over the years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 470 out of 1,110 Virginia elementary schools in 2024-2025 to 1,089 out of 1,100 in 2014-2015. The school's performance in SOL (Standards of Learning) assessments was generally lower than the Staunton City Public Schools district and the state of Virginia averages, with the exception of 3rd-grade mathematics. However, the school has shown strong performance for its African American and low socioeconomic status (SES) student populations, ranking 180 and 208 out of Virginia elementary schools, respectively, in 2024-2025.

One area of concern for Bessie Weller Elementary is the increasing trend in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.2% in 2023-2024 to 19.3% in 2022-2023. This issue may be contributing to the school's academic challenges. Compared to nearby schools, Bessie Weller Elementary's performance is generally lower than Thomas C. McSwain Elementary, but higher than some other schools in the Augusta County Public Schools district. The school's high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients suggests that it serves a predominantly low-income student population, which may also contribute to the academic challenges the school faces.

373

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,913

Per pupil spending ?

83.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

600 Greenville Ave
Staunton, VA 24401-4873

(540) 332-3940

District: Staunton City Public Schools

Students who attend Bessie Weller Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Shelburne Middle
High:	Staunton High

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.4%

Two or more races:

16.6%

African American:

14.7%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Bessie Weller Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2015 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 57 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Virginia median (58th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school75%

District avg79%

Virginia avg71%

470^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 57 pts since 2015

From bottom 1% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Staunton City Public Schools

29^th of 129Staunton City 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	60.4	470 of 1110	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.6	528 of 1114	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.4	570 of 1114	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.3	721 of 1109	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.8	751 of 1103	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.7	787 of 1105	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	981 of 1097	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.5	1010 of 1099	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.7	1030 of 1096	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.8	1089 of 1100	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	17.5	1031 of 1110	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	21.2	985 of 1120	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	6.6	1101 of 1117	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.2	1095 of 1117	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	25.3	990 of 1113	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	36.5	838 of 1082	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	53.5	552 of 1081	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	59.0	441 of 1083	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.8	522 of 1071	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	35.5	800 of 1062	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	65.7	180 of 579	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.5	63 of 588	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	82.5	62 of 579	89.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	59.2	153 of 355	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	481 of 1096	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.1	595 of 1098	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.0	596 of 1100	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	73.4	208 of 1046	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	73.8	204 of 1036	80.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	59.9	459 of 1093	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.0	483 of 1101	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.2	561 of 1093	48.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	647 of 973	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.2	686 of 979	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.2	741 of 984	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)80th percentile+22 vs school

African American (2025)69th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile~ school

Disabled (2024)57th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)56th percentile~ school

White (2025)34th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Science79%+10 vs state

Mathematics75%+3 vs state

English Reading74%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bessie Weller 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
Bessie Weller Elementary	Public	K-5	600 Greenville Ave	Staunton	24401	Staunton city	Staunton City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 332-3940	373	31	12.0	83.1%	203 (54.4%)	55 (14.7%)	44 (11.8%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	62 (16.6%)	60.4	470^th of 1110 public elementary schools	57.7%		56.6	528^th of 1114 public elementary schools	52.6%	58	80.8	72.7	70.7	78.6	72.2	78.2	70.7		$10,913	$1,579	$9,334
Thomas C. McSwain Elementary	Public	K-5	1101 N Coalter St	Staunton	24401	Staunton city	Staunton City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 332-3936	449	31	14.4	84.9%	316 (70.4%)	50 (11.1%)	34 (7.6%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.0%)	84.1	143^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	87.1%		85.2	118^th of 1114 public elementary schools	89.4%	25	85.2	91.6	94.7	85.5	79.0	85.4	88.2		$9,745	$850	$8,895
Arthur R. Ware Elementary	Public	K-5	330 Grubert Avenue	Staunton	24401	Staunton city	Staunton City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 332-3938	372	31	12.0	83.3%	216 (58.1%)	40 (10.8%)	44 (11.8%)	4 (1.1%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	62 (16.7%)	58.7	495^th of 1110 public elementary schools	55.4%		70.7	345^th of 1114 public elementary schools	69.0%	150	90.9	75.4	71.6	67.7	81.5	71.9	69.1		$11,600	$1,209	$10,391
Wilson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	127 Woodrow Wilson Ave	Fishersville	22939	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 245-5040	655	44	14.8	82.0%	431 (65.8%)	67 (10.2%)	72 (11.0%)	19 (2.9%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	61 (9.3%)	44.6	669^th of 1110 public elementary schools	39.7%		37.3	759^th of 1114 public elementary schools	31.9%	90	63.2	65.1	77.5	79.8	52.8	66.0	70.5	71.7	$7,959	$305	$7,654
Stuarts Draft Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	63 School Blvd	Stuarts Draft	24477	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 337-2951	646	40	16.1	69.3%	479 (74.1%)	31 (4.8%)	64 (9.9%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	67 (10.4%)	54.4	546^th of 1110 public elementary schools	50.8%		49.1	629^th of 1114 public elementary schools	43.5%	83	83.1	70.5	69.1	77.8	72.3	71.6	72.8	62.0	$8,313	$662	$7,651
Churchville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3710 Churchville Ave	Churchville	24421	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 337-6036	448	30	14.9	66.7%	416 (92.9%)	2 (0.4%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	19 (4.2%)	31.3	813^th of 1110 public elementary schools	26.8%		41.9	706^th of 1114 public elementary schools	36.6%	107	80.0	52.1	63.5	52.4	68.3	60.6	60.3	59.2	$8,149	$554	$7,595
Guy K. Stump Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	115 Draft Ave	Stuarts Draft	24477	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 337-1549	457	30	15.2	66.7%	376 (82.3%)	18 (3.9%)	20 (4.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.8%)	34	785^th of 1110 public elementary schools	29.3%		46.4	654^th of 1114 public elementary schools	41.3%	131	80.3	60.3	50.0	53.9	64.5	69.1	60.3	66.2	$8,072	$369	$7,703
Riverheads Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	239 Don Hanger Circle	Staunton	24401	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 337-2535	714	46	15.5	72.8%	627 (87.8%)	17 (2.4%)	22 (3.1%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.9%)	41.3	708^th of 1110 public elementary schools	36.2%		51.3	595^th of 1114 public elementary schools	46.6%	113	65.6	81.8	57.7	66.4	63.0	72.7	62.7	62.8	$8,125	$508	$7,618
Edward G. Clymore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	184 Fort Defiance Rd	Fort Defiance	24437	Augusta County	Augusta County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 245-5043	803	50	16.0	68.1%	615 (76.6%)	24 (3.0%)	120 (14.9%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (4.9%)	38.1	738^th of 1110 public elementary schools	33.5%		34.7	783^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	29.7%	45	81.9	60.6	68.9	68.1	64.8	59.6	67.0	50.4	$7,565	$460	$7,105
Westwood Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	548 Rosser Ave	Waynesboro	22980	Waynesboro city	Waynesboro City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 946-4670	382	33	11.5	94.5%	198 (51.8%)	59 (15.4%)	76 (19.9%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (11.0%)	44.2	673^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	39.4%		51	601^st of 1114 public elementary schools	46.1%	72	70.6	73.3	62.7	65.3	62.7	78.0	64.0	71.2	$11,273	$349	$10,924

Frequently Asked Questions about Bessie Weller Elementary

What schools do graduates of Bessie Weller Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bessie Weller Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Shelburne Middle
High : Staunton High

How many students attend Bessie Weller Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 373 students attended Bessie Weller Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bessie Weller Elementary?

Students at Bessie Weller Elementary are 54% White, 17% Two or more races, 15% African American, 12% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

Is Bessie Weller Elementary a good school?

Bessie Weller Elementary ranks 470^th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Bessie Weller Elementary in?

Staunton City Public Schools

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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.