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Florence Bowser Elementary

Q: Is Florence Bowser Elementary a good school?

Florence Bowser Elementary ranks 401 st of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

401^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Florence Bowser Elementary is a public elementary school in Suffolk, Virginia, serving 874 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Suffolk City Public Schools district, which is ranked 74 out of 129 districts in the state.

Florence Bowser Elementary consistently ranks in the top half of Virginia elementary schools, with a statewide ranking between 401-433 out of 1,110-1,114 schools over the past 5 years. The school's performance on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests is generally above the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics and science. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th-grade students scored 81.21% proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 74.69% for the district and 71.56% for the state. The school's reading SOL test scores are also strong, with 3rd-5th grade students scoring above the district and state averages.

Despite having a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 64-69% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, Florence Bowser Elementary has maintained a consistent level of academic performance. This suggests the school has been able to effectively support student learning and achievement, even with a significant population of disadvantaged students. When compared to other nearby elementary schools, such as Oakland Elementary and Nansemond Parkway Elementary, Florence Bowser Elementary generally outperforms its peers on state assessments.

926

Students ?

21.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,667

Per pupil spending ?

69.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4540 Nansemond Pkwy
Suffolk, VA 23435

(757) 923-4106

District: Suffolk City Public Schools

Students who attend Florence Bowser Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	John Yeates Middle
High:	Nansemond River High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

38.7%

White:

37.8%

Hispanic:

13.8%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Florence Bowser Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 59th percentile in 2014 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (78% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2014

✓Above the Virginia median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg70%

Virginia avg71%

401^st of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 11Elementary Schools in the Suffolk City Public Schools

74^th of 129Suffolk 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	66.4	401 of 1110	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.4	433 of 1114	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.7	404 of 1114	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.5	426 of 1109	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.6	428 of 1103	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.7	248 of 1097	77.4%	★★★★☆
2017	70.3	303 of 1099	72.4%	★★★★☆
2016	53.0	574 of 1096	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.5	652 of 1100	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	58.9	458 of 1110	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.1	470 of 1120	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.8	362 of 1117	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.6	400 of 1117	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.4	442 of 1113	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	59.0	445 of 1082	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.7	482 of 1081	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.3	483 of 1083	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	32.5	868 of 1071	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	42.3	692 of 1062	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	72.0	137 of 579	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	67.9	176 of 588	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	67.8	170 of 579	70.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	53.4	205 of 355	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	63.9	406 of 1096	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.3	439 of 1098	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.0	387 of 1100	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	72.4	146 of 606	75.9%	★★★★☆
2024	61.7	223 of 580	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.9	164 of 564	70.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	60.7	390 of 1046	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.5	438 of 1036	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	66.1	379 of 1093	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.6	423 of 1101	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	403 of 1093	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	143 of 192	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.8	134 of 195	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.8	72 of 182	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	65.8	95 of 271	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	106 of 247	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	122 of 245	50.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	498 of 973	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.2	376 of 979	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.8	249 of 984	74.7%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2025)76th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)76th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)65th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)65th percentile~ school

Female (2025)63rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)63rd percentile~ school

White (2025)49th percentile-15 vs school

Disabled (2024)42nd percentile-19 vs school

Military Connected (2025)26th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Science82%+13 vs state

VA Studies78%+10 vs state

Mathematics78%+5 vs state

English Reading76%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Florence Bowser 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	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Florence Bowser Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4540 Nansemond Pkwy	Suffolk	23435	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 923-4106	926	44	21.0	69.3%	350 (37.8%)	358 (38.7%)	128 (13.8%)	12 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (8.3%)	66.4	401^st of 1110 public elementary schools	63.9%		64.4	433^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	61.1%	32	71.9	80.1	81.2	81.9	67.3	79.4	81.2	78.0		$6,667	$285	$6,381
Creekside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Bennetts Creek Park Road	Suffolk	23435	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 923-4251	764	47	16.2	69.4%	175 (22.9%)	403 (52.7%)	89 (11.6%)	17 (2.2%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	76 (9.9%)	49.1	612^th of 1110 public elementary schools	44.9%		57.8	512^th of 1114 public elementary schools	54.0%	100	71.6	77.5	77.7	73.8	59.0	70.8	69.4	61.2		$7,668	$685	$6,983
Nansemond Parkway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3012 Nansemond Pkwy	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 923-4167	456	29	15.7	69.3%	135 (29.6%)	245 (53.7%)	31 (6.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (9.4%)	53.3	562^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	49.4%		60.2	487^th of 1114 public elementary schools	56.3%	75	75.3	71.4	75.4	75.4	70.4	66.7	72.1	66.7		$9,716	$1,110	$8,606
Edwin W. Chittum Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2008 Dock Landing Rd	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 465-6300	762	51	15.0	20.1%	470 (61.7%)	128 (16.8%)	64 (8.4%)	13 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	85 (11.2%)	83	163^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	85.3%		80.6	211^th of 1114 public elementary schools	81.1%	48	93.2	94.4	84.4	83.1	78.0	88.8	81.8		87.1	$11,008	$1,307	$9,701
Western Branch Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	4122 Terry Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7951	801	48	16.6	73.7%	272 (34.0%)	305 (38.1%)	99 (12.4%)	29 (3.6%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	92 (11.5%)								(n/a)										$9,100	$499	$8,602
Hillpoint Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1101 Hillpoint Rd	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 925-6750	780	39	20.0	69.2%	143 (18.3%)	479 (61.4%)	81 (10.4%)	13 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (7.9%)	28.3	846^th of 1110 public elementary schools	23.8%		32.6	805^th of 1114 public elementary schools	27.7%	41	70.6	63.5	62.0	51.8	60.8	65.3	58.6	50.5		$6,465	$664	$5,801
Southwestern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4410 Airline Blvd	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-6310	549	40	13.5	74.1%	69 (12.6%)	383 (69.8%)	59 (10.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (6.0%)	57.2	514^th of 1110 public elementary schools	53.7%		57.6	515^th of 1114 public elementary schools	53.8%	1	82.2	92.3	75.3	68.0	52.2	79.5	68.0		73.0	$11,018	$1,447	$9,570
Western Branch Intermediate	Public	3-5	4013 Terry Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7941	795	46	17.2	73.7%	306 (38.5%)	286 (36.0%)	78 (9.8%)	33 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	88 (11.1%)	59.2	485^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.3%		59.3	497^th of 1114 public elementary schools	55.4%	12	77.8	73.9	81.8	68.9	66.8	76.5	70.9		79.1	$9,546	$684	$8,862
Mack Benn Junior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1253 Nansemond Pkwy	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 934-6224	713	44	16.2	69.3%	105 (14.7%)	480 (67.3%)	72 (10.1%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	50 (7.0%)	35.4	766^th of 1110 public elementary schools	31.0%		29.3	850^th of 1114 public elementary schools	23.7%	84	75.8	61.7	68.5	64.0	58.6	63.6	67.8	53.9		$8,133	$1,251	$6,882
Oakland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5505 Godwin Blvd	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 923-5248	464	26	17.8	68.8%	137 (29.5%)	245 (52.8%)	34 (7.3%)	4 (0.9%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.4%)	77.3	258^th of 1110 public elementary schools	76.8%		84.1	136^th of 1114 public elementary schools	87.8%	122	79.1	87.3	91.3	78.3	74.6	91.6	82.6	78.9		$8,640	$897	$7,744

Frequently Asked Questions about Florence Bowser Elementary

What district is Florence Bowser Elementary in?

Suffolk City Public Schools

How many students attend Florence Bowser Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 926 students attended Florence Bowser Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Florence Bowser Elementary?

Students at Florence Bowser Elementary are 39% African American, 38% White, 14% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Florence Bowser Elementary attend?

Students who attend Florence Bowser Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : John Yeates Middle
High : Nansemond River High

Is Florence Bowser Elementary a good school?

Florence Bowser Elementary ranks 401^st of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Florence Bowser Elementary!

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Schools in Suffolk, VA

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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.