Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Mack Benn Junior Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
766th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools
Better than 31% of Virginia elementary schools
Summary

Mack Benn Junior Elementary is a public elementary school in Suffolk, Virginia, serving 704 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 and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Mack Benn Junior Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Virginia elementary schools over the past 10 years, with its performance on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests generally below the district and state averages. The school also faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.7% to 20.4% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. While the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, it lags behind the state averages, particularly for female, male, and low socioeconomic status students. Despite relatively high per-student spending, the school's academic performance and other key metrics are still lagging behind the district and state.

When compared to nearby schools in the Suffolk City Public Schools district, such as Creekside Elementary, Oakland Elementary, and Nansemond Parkway Elementary, Mack Benn Junior Elementary's performance is generally lower. The school also lags behind schools in the neighboring Chesapeake City Public Schools district, such as Southwestern Elementary and Edwin W. Chittum Elementary, which have higher academic achievement and lower chronic absenteeism rates.

713
Students ?
16.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$8,133
Per pupil spending ?
69.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1253 Nansemond Pkwy
       Suffolk, VA  23434

(757) 934-6224

District: Suffolk City Public Schools


Students who attend Mack Benn Junior Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    John F. Kennedy Middle
High:    King's Fork High
Racial breakdown:

African American:
67.3%
White:
14.7%
Hispanic:
10.1%
more
 See top rated Virginia elementary schools

 Compare Mack Benn Junior Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2015 → 31st in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2015
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Virginia average (64% vs 71% meeting standards)
!VA Studies scores 14 pts below the Virginia average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school64%
District avg70%
Virginia avg71%
766th of 1,110
Virginia public elementary schools ?
Bottom 31%▲ up 12 pts since 2015
From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
8th of 11Elementary Schools in the Suffolk City Public Schools
74th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202535.4766 of 111031.0%★★☆☆☆
202429.3850 of 111423.7%★☆☆☆☆
202325.8881 of 111420.9%★☆☆☆☆
202213.01001 of 11099.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202117.7934 of 110315.3%★☆☆☆☆
201915.11014 of 11058.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201819.1974 of 109711.2%★☆☆☆☆
201716.21006 of 10998.5%☆☆☆☆☆
201615.11020 of 10966.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201528.1893 of 110018.8%★☆☆☆☆
201424.3962 of 111013.3%★☆☆☆☆
201320.01003 of 112010.4%★☆☆☆☆
201252.8580 of 111748.1%★★☆☆☆
201123.31015 of 11179.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201035.3894 of 111319.7%★☆☆☆☆
200912.11054 of 10822.6%☆☆☆☆☆
200818.81011 of 10816.5%☆☆☆☆☆
200731.3891 of 108317.7%★☆☆☆☆
200619.6984 of 10718.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200534.9813 of 106223.4%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202550.7307 of 57947.0%★★☆☆☆
202444.0373 of 58836.6%★★☆☆☆
202339.1403 of 57930.4%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202536.3759 of 109630.7%★★☆☆☆
202425.2886 of 109819.3%★☆☆☆☆
202323.5905 of 110017.7%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202357.8258 of 56454.3%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202537.0715 of 104631.6%★★☆☆☆
202435.0740 of 103628.6%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202534.4785 of 109328.2%★☆☆☆☆
202433.7796 of 110127.7%★☆☆☆☆
202328.6849 of 109322.3%★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202468.058 of 19570.3%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202539.6664 of 97331.8%★★☆☆☆
202454.7498 of 97949.1%★★☆☆☆
202330.1779 of 98420.8%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Military Connected (2024)70th percentile+47 vs school
Hispanic (2023)54th percentile+33 vs school
African American (2025)47th percentile+16 vs school
White (2025)32nd percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)32nd percentile~ school
Female (2025)31st percentile~ school
Male (2025)28th percentile-3 vs school
By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics68%-4 vs state
Science64%-5 vs state
English Reading63%-7 vs state
VA Studies54%-14 vs state

3.0
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
51
40
30
20
11
Rate Mack Benn Junior Elementary
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
What people are saying
by a parent
Friday, December 15, 2023

Open Quote The disciplinary team is horrible the punish kids for standing up for them selves while letting bully’s stay in school. They do not have a clue one how to run 504 or IEP meetings. This school is so unorganized and honestly horrible. Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Open Quote If students were only the sum of an SOL test, the world would be in trouble. This is my second year as a parent of a MBJE student and for the second year I am beyond impressed by the teachers and staff of this school. It's unfortunate that these rankings only take SOL teat scores into account and leave out the life that happens every day for some of these kids. I see how much the teachers and staff love, motivate, and educate these young minds and I'm thankful for every one of them. I could easily put my son in a private school but he would lose the the aspects of education that are not captured by tests and I can't have that. I look forward to my daughter starting kindergarten next year because I know she will be in great hands. Close Quote





Schools Near Mack Benn Junior Elementary

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private






Frequently Asked Questions about Mack Benn Junior Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 713 students attended Mack Benn Junior Elementary.

Students at Mack Benn Junior Elementary are 67% African American, 15% White, 10% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

Students who attend Mack Benn Junior Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : John F. Kennedy Middle
High : King's Fork High

Mack Benn Junior Elementary ranks 766th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


Rate Mack Benn Junior Elementary!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Mack Benn Junior Elementary!


Latest Virginia data All new data »
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
2024–25 attendance dataSep 2, 2025


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.





Diagnostics