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Florence Bowser Elementary

Q: Is Florence Bowser Elementary a good school?

Florence Bowser Elementary ranks 564 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

564^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 49% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Florence Bowser Elementary is a PK–5 school in Suffolk City Public Schools serving 926 students on Nansemond Parkway in Suffolk, VA, making it the largest elementary school in its local comparison group. Roughly 69% of students qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2024–25, nearly identical to other Suffolk elementaries nearby. One of the school's standout strengths is attendance: only 8.7% of students were chronically absent in 2024–25, dramatically better than the district rate of 17.6% and the state rate of 14.8%. This reflects a major improvement from 20.0% in 2021–22, and among nearby schools only Edwin W. Chittum Elementary posted a lower rate.

Academically, Florence Bowser's upper-grade students perform solidly relative to district and state averages. In 2025–26, 5th graders posted 76.87% proficiency in math and 77.40% in reading, both above state averages, and 4th graders also exceeded state benchmarks in math, reading, and Virginia Studies. The school's work with English language learners is exceptional, ranking 9th out of 315 schools statewide (97th percentile). However, the 3rd grade cohort is a clear outlier: reading proficiency was just 60.54%, more than seven points below the state average. Since early literacy strongly predicts later success, this is a red flag. Additionally, outcomes for disabled students declined sharply to the 6th percentile statewide in 2025–26, an urgent concern even accounting for small subgroup sizes.

Florence Bowser operates with a very high student-teacher ratio of 21:1, the largest in its comparison set, and spends less per student ($6,667) than nearly all nearby schools, yet still achieves competitive results. Among Suffolk peers with similar poverty levels, the school sits in the middle: Oakland Elementary ranks in the 70th percentile, Creekside Elementary in the 55th, Nansemond Parkway Elementary in the 44th, Mack Benn Junior Elementary in the 27th, and Hillpoint Elementary in the 22nd. The school's overall state rank has slipped from the 77th percentile in 2017–18 and the low-60s for several years to the 49th percentile in 2025–26. Early literacy support and attention to vulnerable subgroups will likely determine whether Florence Bowser returns to its previous standing or continues to slide.

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: Recently slipping — 77th percentile in 2018 → 49th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 77th-percentile peak (2018) to 49th (2026)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg71%

Virginia avg72%

564^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 49%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Suffolk City Public Schools

72^nd of 131Suffolk 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
2026	54.5	564 of 1111	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	59.2	247 of 591	58.2%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	5.6	394 of 420	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	53.4	205 of 355	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	92.2	9 of 315	97.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	54.3	542 of 1100	50.7%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	58.4	253 of 619	59.1%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	44.2	640 of 1040	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	53.0	568 of 1099	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	35.6	158 of 206	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	68.2	89 of 306	70.9%	★★★★☆
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
2026	50.6	526 of 974	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
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)

English Language Learner (2026)97th percentile+48 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)71st percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)59th percentile+10 vs school

African American (2026)58th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)51st percentile~ school

Male (2026)48th percentile~ school

White (2026)46th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile-11 vs school

Military Connected (2026)23rd percentile-26 vs school

Disabled (2026)6th percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics75%~ state avg

VA Studies74%+4 vs state

English Reading72%~ state avg

Science71%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Florence Bowser 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
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%)	54.5	564^th of 1111 public elementary schools	49.2%		66.4	401^st of 1110 public elementary schools	63.9%	163	70.1	76.7	76.9	71.4	60.5	76.7	77.4	74.1		$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%)	58.5	499^th of 1111 public elementary schools	55.1%		49.1	612^th of 1110 public elementary schools	44.9%	113	69.1	78.9	84.2	75.6	60.9	77.2	78.3	73.0		$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%)	48.6	622^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	44.0%		53.3	562^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	49.4%	60	59.2	82.7	76.4	65.5	46.7	80.0	74.6	77.3		$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%)	79.5	208^th of 1111 public elementary schools	81.3%		83	163^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	85.3%	45	89.1	88.6	89.2	81.5	76.2	82.9	83.9	80.5	88.4	$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%)	27.9	869^th of 1111 public elementary schools	21.8%		28.3	846^th of 1110 public elementary schools	23.8%	23	57.3	67.5	68.6	48.6	52.9	68.8	62.3	65.1		$6,465	$664	$5,801
Southwestern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	109 Benefit Road	Chesapeake	23322	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%)	63.6	431^st of 1111 public elementary schools	61.2%		57.2	514^th of 1110 public elementary schools	53.7%	83	81.6	85.5	78.8	70.4	75.9	73.2	73.4	67.9	87.3	$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%)	59.8	480^th of 1111 public elementary schools	56.8%		59.2	485^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.3%	5	80.1	79.2	77.4	69.6	75.6	75.5	72.8	71.2	76.2	$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%)	32.6	814^th of 1111 public elementary schools	26.7%		35.4	766^th of 1110 public elementary schools	31.0%	48	60.2	76.3	57.1	58.1	50.4	77.4	64.8	66.7		$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%)	71.5	329^th of 1111 public elementary schools	70.4%		77.3	258^th of 1110 public elementary schools	76.8%	71	93.3	79.4	89.6	79.1	81.4	76.2	86.6	61.9		$8,640	$897	$7,744

Frequently Asked Questions about Florence Bowser Elementary

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 564^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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.

How many students attend Florence Bowser Elementary?

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

What district is Florence Bowser Elementary in?

Suffolk City Public Schools

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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.