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

Watauga Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

52^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Watauga Elementary is a PK–5 elementary school in Abingdon, Virginia, serving 581 students in the highly rated Washington County Public Schools district, which ranks 12th of 131 districts in the state. The school is one of the strongest elementary schools in Virginia, currently ranked 52nd of 1,111 schools statewide (95th percentile) and earning a 5-star rating in nine of the past ten reporting periods. What makes these results especially remarkable is that 74.9% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context — yet Watauga consistently posts academic results far above district and state averages.

Across every subject and grade level, Watauga's SOL proficiency rates exceed both district and state averages by wide margins. For example, 93.1% of 3rd graders passed math and 89.7% passed reading, compared to state averages of 74.0% and 67.6%. Watauga also outperforms every nearby elementary school by 30 to 60 percentile points in statewide rankings, with Abingdon Elementary ranking 192nd as the next closest. The school is especially effective with economically disadvantaged students, ranking in the 98th to 99th percentile statewide for that subgroup over the past three years. Chronic absenteeism at Watauga (10.3%) runs below the district (13.8%) and state (14.8%) averages. Meanwhile, Watauga spends less per student ($9,520) and has larger class sizes than neighboring schools like Valley Institute Elementary and Greendale Elementary, yet delivers dramatically better results.

Watauga's performance is a clear outlier even within its own district. Nearby schools serve nearly identical populations — free lunch rates range from 74.9% to 76.3% — yet Watauga posts proficiency rates 15 to 25 percentage points higher on many tests, pointing to school-level practices, leadership, and instructional culture as the difference. The one area of relative weakness is the Students with Disabilities subgroup, which ranked in the 63rd percentile in 2025–2026. The school has also slipped slightly from its peak of 17th statewide in 2023–2024 to 52nd in 2025–2026, though it remains firmly in the top 5% of Virginia elementary schools. Overall, Watauga Elementary is a model of school effectiveness in Southwest Virginia, achieving outstanding outcomes for all students despite higher poverty and lower funding.

581

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,520

Per pupil spending ?

74.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

23181 Watauga Rd
Abingdon, VA 24211

(276) 739-3600

District: Washington County Public Schools

Students who attend Watauga Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	E.B. Stanley Middle
High:	Abingdon High

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.5%

Hispanic:

4.3%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Watauga Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2016 → 95th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (91% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of Virginia elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Washington County Public Schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school91%

District avg83%

Virginia avg72%

52^nd of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 7Elementary Schools in the Washington County Public Schools

12^th of 131Washington 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	89.4	52 of 1111	95.3%	★★★★★
2025	91.9	23 of 1110	97.9%	★★★★★
2024	92.4	17 of 1114	98.5%	★★★★★
2023	91.1	39 of 1114	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	90.5	47 of 1109	95.8%	★★★★★
2021	87.1	122 of 1103	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	91.0	12 of 1105	98.9%	★★★★★
2018	84.4	96 of 1097	91.2%	★★★★★
2017	89.6	32 of 1099	97.1%	★★★★★
2016	89.9	23 of 1096	97.9%	★★★★★
2015	92.7	4 of 1100	99.6%	★★★★★
2014	84.2	99 of 1110	91.1%	★★★★★
2013	75.6	213 of 1120	81.0%	★★★★☆
2012	78.5	155 of 1117	86.1%	★★★★☆
2011	84.3	58 of 1117	94.8%	★★★★★
2010	81.4	71 of 1113	93.6%	★★★★★
2009	81.8	75 of 1082	93.1%	★★★★★
2008	80.2	101 of 1081	90.7%	★★★★★
2007	83.1	78 of 1083	92.8%	★★★★★
2006	66.6	324 of 1071	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	79.7	145 of 1062	86.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	62.0	154 of 420	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.1	86 of 324	73.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	87.6	67 of 1100	93.9%	★★★★★
2025	92.1	16 of 1096	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	93.0	9 of 1098	99.2%	★★★★★
2023	90.9	30 of 1100	97.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	92.5	23 of 1040	97.8%	★★★★★
2025	95.2	8 of 1046	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	95.2	10 of 1036	99.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	87.8	60 of 1099	94.5%	★★★★★
2025	89.8	41 of 1093	96.2%	★★★★★
2024	89.5	46 of 1101	95.8%	★★★★★
2023	88.7	55 of 1093	95.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	79.0	139 of 974	85.7%	★★★★☆
2025	86.6	40 of 973	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	86.7	33 of 979	96.6%	★★★★★
2023	82.5	89 of 984	91.0%	★★★★★

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 (2026)98th percentile~ school

Male (2026)95th percentile~ school

Female (2026)94th percentile~ school

White (2026)86th percentile-10 vs school

Disabled (2026)63rd percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics93%+20 vs state

English Reading91%+20 vs state

Science88%+19 vs state

VA Studies87%+16 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Watauga 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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Watauga Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Watauga Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	23181 Watauga Rd	Abingdon	24211	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 739-3600	581	39	15.0	74.9%	520 (89.5%)	9 (1.5%)	25 (4.3%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.1%)	89.4	52^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	95.3%		91.9	23^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	97.9%	29	93.1	92.2	93.8	87.5	89.7	92.2	91.7	86.5	$9,520	$1,424	$8,096
Abingdon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19431 Woodland Hills Rd	Abingdon	24210	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 739-3400	426	34	12.5	75.4%	366 (85.9%)	23 (5.4%)	17 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (4.2%)	80.8	192^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	82.7%		77.4	255^th of 1110 public elementary schools	77.0%	63	92.3	83.9	86.7	85.0	84.6	82.6	85.0	84.5	$12,536	$1,224	$11,312
Greendale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13092 McGuffie Rd	Abingdon	24210	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 739-3500	257	24	10.7	76.3%	237 (92.2%)	1 (0.4%)	13 (5.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	80	200^th of 1111 public elementary schools	82.0%		79.9	216^th of 1110 public elementary schools	80.5%	16	77.5	92.7	85.4	85.4	75.0	90.2	82.9	92.7	$12,629	$1,135	$11,494
Meadowview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14050 Glenbrook Ave	Meadowview	24361	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 739-3900	544	42	13.1	75.2%	515 (94.7%)	5 (0.9%)	16 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	65.5	404^th of 1111 public elementary schools	63.6%		67.4	385^th of 1110 public elementary schools	65.3%	19	74.7	88.7	80.9	62.9	73.6	81.4	77.5	81.3	$10,933	$2,024	$8,910
Rhea Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	31305 Rhea Valley Rd	Meadowview	24361	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 739-4200	404	35	11.7	76.0%	389 (96.3%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	69.9	351^st of 1111 public elementary schools	68.4%		66.6	399^th of 1110 public elementary schools	64.1%	48	86.8	82.0	76.8	67.9	79.3	85.3	75.0	83.6	$11,049	$1,780	$9,269
High Point Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	14091 Sinking Creek Rd	Bristol	24202	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 642-5600	582	41	14.3	76.1%	520 (89.3%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (5.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.6%)	66.1	398^th of 1111 public elementary schools	64.2%		78.5	243^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	78.1%	155	73.7	86.8	80.7	77.4	72.0	89.0	73.1	73.0	$9,823	$1,394	$8,428
Virginia Intermediate School	Public	2-5	350 Van Pelt Circle	Bristol	24201	Bristol city	Bristol City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(276) 821-5710	655	35	18.7	99.8%	482 (73.6%)	58 (8.9%)	33 (5.0%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (11.1%)	42.9	702^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	36.8%					(n/a)	56.4	73.6	63.8	63.0	58.8	79.9	70.3	79.0
Virginia Primary School	Public	PK, KG-1	350 Spring Hill Terrace	Bristol	24201	Bristol city	Bristol City Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(276) 821-5770	422	37	11.4		306 (72.5%)	37 (8.8%)	22 (5.2%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (11.6%)								(n/a)
Lebanon Primary	Public	PK, KG-1	919 East Main Street	Lebanon	24266	Russell County	Russell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 889-4507	267	20	13.1	94.4%	257 (96.3%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)								(n/a)									$7,633	$1,275	$6,357
Lebanon Elementary	Public	2-4	56 George Ben Whited Drive	Lebanon	24266	Russell County	Russell County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 889-6531	292	24	12.3	89.7%	279 (95.5%)	6 (2.1%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	64.5	421^st of 1111 public elementary schools	62.1%		48.9	617^th of 1110 public elementary schools	44.4%	196	81.0	73.2			71.4	78.1		84.0	$8,272	$1,095	$7,177

Frequently Asked Questions about Watauga Elementary

What district is Watauga Elementary in?

Washington County Public Schools

How many students attend Watauga Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 581 students attended Watauga Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Watauga Elementary attend?

Students who attend Watauga Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : E.B. Stanley Middle
High : Abingdon High

Is Watauga Elementary a good school?

Yes! Watauga Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 52^nd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Watauga Elementary?

Students at Watauga Elementary are 90% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

Rate Watauga Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

VAVirginia Elementary School Rankings

VAVirginia District Rankings

Schools in Abingdon, VA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Watauga Elementary!

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.