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Surry Elementary

Q: Is Surry Elementary a good school?

Surry Elementary ranks 605 th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

605^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Surry Elementary is a small, rural school in Dendron, Virginia, serving 292 students in grades PK–4 as part of Surry County Public Schools. The school supports a highly economically disadvantaged community — roughly 95.6% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25, the highest rate among all nearby comparison schools. Surry invests heavily in its students: per-pupil spending of $12,531 exceeds nearly every neighboring school (Nottoway Elementary spends just $8,372 per pupil), and the student–teacher ratio of 11.2 is among the lowest in the area. That combination of high need and strong resources makes Surry stand out from peers like James River Elementary and Waller Mill Elementary.

Academically, Surry shows real bright spots, especially in 4th grade. In 2025–26, 4th-grade VA Studies proficiency reached 85.71%, well above the state average of 70.52%, and 4th-grade reading hit 75%, also above the state average. The school is particularly effective for some of its highest-need students: African American students rank in the 78th percentile statewide (4 stars), and low-income students outperform the school's overall rank. However, results are uneven — 3rd-grade reading (59.09%) and both grade levels' math scores trail state averages, and math has been the most inconsistent subject year to year. Still, Surry's overall 46th-percentile state ranking is respectable given its poverty profile, landing ahead of James River Elementary and roughly tied with D.J. Montague Elementary and Matthew Whaley Elementary, schools with far lower poverty rates.

One of the most encouraging trends is attendance. Surry cut chronic absenteeism from 30.9% in 2021–22 to just 11.8% in 2024–25 — now below the Virginia state average of 14.8%. That turnaround, combined with strong subgroup results, 4th-grade performance, and above-average resources, gives the school a solid foundation. With small class sizes and meaningful per-pupil investment, Surry appears well-positioned to keep improving. The main opportunities are early-grade reading and consistency in math — areas that, if strengthened, could push this high-poverty school solidly into the upper half of Virginia elementary schools.

292

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,531

Per pupil spending ?

95.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1600 Hollybush Rd
Dendron, VA 23839-9713

(757) 267-2558

District: Surry County Public Schools

Students who attend Surry Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Luther P. Jackson Middle
High:	Surry County High

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.2%

African American:

42.8%

Two or more races:

7.2%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Surry Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2016 → 46th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school72%

District avg72%

Virginia avg72%

605^th of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

61^st of 131Surry 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	50.3	605 of 1111	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.6	581 of 1110	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.3	448 of 1114	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.4	839 of 1114	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.3	820 of 1109	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.2	880 of 1103	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.2	792 of 1105	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	63.3	425 of 1097	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	40.7	754 of 1099	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.4	786 of 1096	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	46.5	686 of 1100	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	37.9	772 of 1110	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.3	640 of 1120	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.5	761 of 1117	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.8	490 of 1117	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	44.1	759 of 1113	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	20.1	1000 of 1082	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	44.6	712 of 1081	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	58.5	458 of 1083	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	40.2	762 of 1071	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	5.9	1052 of 1062	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	72.5	132 of 591	77.7%	★★★★☆
2025	68.8	159 of 579	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	79.6	87 of 588	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	32.8	437 of 579	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	63.5	142 of 420	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	660 of 1100	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.5	556 of 1096	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	75.1	258 of 1098	76.5%	★★★★☆
2023	42.8	685 of 1100	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	57.0	452 of 1040	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.0	388 of 1046	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.4	194 of 1036	81.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	56.6	515 of 1099	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.0	579 of 1093	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.9	580 of 1101	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.5	884 of 1093	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	714 of 974	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.3	785 of 973	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.1	625 of 979	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.5	871 of 984	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)78th percentile+32 vs school

Disabled (2026)66th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)57th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)53rd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)40th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies86%+15 vs state

Mathematics69%-5 vs state

English Reading68%-3 vs state

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Schools Near Surry 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
Surry Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1600 Hollybush Rd	Dendron	23839	Surry County	Surry County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 267-2558	292	26	11.2	95.5%	126 (43.2%)	125 (42.8%)	18 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	21 (7.2%)	50.3	605^th of 1111 public elementary schools	45.5%		51.6	581^st of 1110 public elementary schools	47.7%	24	68.2	69.6			59.1	75.0		85.7		$12,531	$1,915	$10,616
Clara Byrd Baker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3131 Ironbound Rd	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 221-0949	457	42	11.0	44.9%	248 (54.3%)	79 (17.3%)	63 (13.8%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	54 (11.8%)	68.4	367^th of 1111 public elementary schools	67.0%		59.7	479^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.8%	112	80.2	73.9	78.4	78.4	75.6	76.9	83.8	83.6		$11,459	$665	$10,794
Matoaka Elementary	Public	K-5	4001 Brick Bat Road	Williamsburg	23188	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 564-4001	595	41	14.6	23.5%	390 (65.5%)	83 (13.9%)	61 (10.3%)	22 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.6%)	75.6	274^th of 1111 public elementary schools	75.3%		72.8	311^th of 1110 public elementary schools	72.0%	37	75.0	86.7	89.0	84.6	70.8	83.7	86.8	85.7		$10,206	$426	$9,779
Laurel Lane Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	112 Laurel Lane	Williamsburg	23188	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 229-7597	526	43	12.2	73.6%	276 (52.5%)	80 (15.2%)	99 (18.8%)	12 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (11.0%)	58	507^th of 1111 public elementary schools	54.4%		62.7	446^th of 1110 public elementary schools	59.8%	61	79.8	67.1	85.5	85.3	68.5	72.4	80.0	63.5		$9,980	$644	$9,337
Hardy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	9389 Old Stage Hwy	Smithfield	23430	Isle of Wight County	Isle of Wight County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 357-3204	649	50	12.9	70.1%	336 (51.8%)	183 (28.2%)	40 (6.2%)	9 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (12.3%)	64.3	424^th of 1111 public elementary schools	61.8%		56.4	528^th of 1110 public elementary schools	52.4%	104	79.8	77.6			71.2	81.3		75.4		$10,262	$979	$9,282
Nottoway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13093 Ivor Rd.	Sedley	23878	Southampton County	Southampton County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 859-6539	235	16	14.9	91.5%	161 (68.5%)	53 (22.6%)	13 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	68.9	361^st of 1111 public elementary schools	67.5%		71.2	339^th of 1110 public elementary schools	69.5%	22	69.4	82.1	93.8	71.9	69.4	85.7	87.5		84.4	$8,372	$871	$7,501
Windsor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20008 Courthouse Hwy	Windsor	23487	Isle of Wight County	Isle of Wight County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 242-4193	624	46	13.6	72.0%	441 (70.7%)	91 (14.6%)	35 (5.6%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	52 (8.3%)	67.9	374^th of 1111 public elementary schools	66.3%		67.4	388^th of 1110 public elementary schools	65.0%	14	88.2	76.4	83.0	85.0	75.3	77.3	77.0	71.3		$10,867	$1,032	$9,834
D.J. Montague Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5380 Centerville Rd	Williamsburg	23188	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 258-3022	515	39	13.3	66.6%	257 (49.9%)	143 (27.8%)	49 (9.5%)	16 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (9.5%)	52	592^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	46.7%		62.8	445^th of 1110 public elementary schools	59.9%	147	74.3	73.9	78.8	70.0	70.3	70.3	77.5	62.2		$9,407	$1,091	$8,315
Matthew Whaley Elementary	Public	K-5	301 Scotland St	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 229-1931	485	34	14.1	63.9%	197 (40.6%)	110 (22.7%)	128 (26.4%)	13 (2.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.2%)	52.5	586^th of 1111 public elementary schools	47.3%		38	741^st of 1110 public elementary schools	33.2%	155	78.5	73.2	76.1	70.4	69.6	73.2	74.3	62.2		$10,698	$1,031	$9,667
James River Elementary	Public	K-5	8901 Pocahontas Trail	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 887-1768	449	38	11.8	64.4%	108 (24.1%)	80 (17.8%)	219 (48.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.1%)	22.3	922^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	17.0%		30.6	820^th of 1110 public elementary schools	26.1%	102	57.1	65.0	68.4	54.0	41.7	62.5	55.3	66.1		$12,450	$1,079	$11,371

Frequently Asked Questions about Surry Elementary

Is Surry Elementary a good school?

Surry Elementary ranks 605^th of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Surry Elementary in?

Surry County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Surry Elementary?

Students at Surry Elementary are 43% White, 43% African American, 7% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Surry Elementary attend?

Students who attend Surry Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Luther P. Jackson Middle
High : Surry County High

How many students attend Surry Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 292 students attended Surry Elementary.

Rate Surry Elementary!

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Schools in Dendron, VA

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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.