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James River Elementary

Q: Is James River Elementary a good school?

James River Elementary ranks 820 th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

820^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

James River Elementary is a public elementary school in Williamsburg, Virginia, serving 445 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools district, which is ranked 39 out of 129 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Despite being part of a relatively high-performing district, James River Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Virginia elementary schools over the past several years, with its performance on state assessments generally below the district and state averages. Compared to nearby schools like Yorktown Elementary and Magruder Elementary, which consistently rank in the top 30% of Virginia elementary schools, James River's academic performance is significantly lower.

The school's challenges may be linked to its high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 64.94% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, James River Elementary has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 10.4% to 19.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and some nearby schools. Addressing these underlying socioeconomic and attendance issues could be crucial in improving the school's academic outcomes.

449

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,450

Per pupil spending ?

64.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8901 Pocahontas Trail
Williamsburg, VA 23185

(757) 887-1768

District: Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools

Students who attend James River Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	James Blair Middle
High:	Jamestown High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.8%

White:

24.1%

African American:

17.8%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare James River Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2015 → 26th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (61% vs 71% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

!VA Studies scores 17 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg75%

Virginia avg71%

820^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools

39^th of 129Williamsburg-James City 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
2025	30.6	820 of 1110	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.4	817 of 1114	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.7	835 of 1114	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.5	790 of 1109	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	979 of 1103	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	912 of 1105	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.6	805 of 1097	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.5	824 of 1099	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.0	840 of 1096	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	44.0	718 of 1100	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.4	642 of 1110	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.1	816 of 1120	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	60.5	436 of 1117	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.8	294 of 1117	73.7%	★★★★☆
2010	62.8	396 of 1113	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.4	618 of 1082	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	31.8	874 of 1081	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.4	929 of 1083	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	42.7	721 of 1071	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	49.1	588 of 1062	44.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	47.0	339 of 579	41.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	183 of 326	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.5	235 of 306	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	881 of 1096	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	885 of 1098	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.1	940 of 1100	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	50.4	319 of 606	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.6	357 of 580	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	368 of 564	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	713 of 1046	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.1	725 of 1036	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	742 of 1093	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	763 of 1101	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.8	646 of 1093	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	36.7	698 of 973	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.6	597 of 979	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.1	516 of 984	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)47th percentile+21 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)44th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2025)41st percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)32nd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)32nd percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)28th percentile~ school

Female (2025)20th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics66%-6 vs state

Science65%-4 vs state

English Reading56%-14 vs state

VA Studies51%-17 vs state

4.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 22, 2014

I have 5 children who are attending or who have attended James River Elementary school. One is in High School now and two are in Junior High. James River teachers, staff and administration work hard as a team to meet the needs of all of their students. It is a small neighborhood school where the children are seen as individuals and goals are individualized. My children have received a strong foundation for higher academic challenges here at James River. Two of them required reading recovery assistance and one has required speech assistance; they also all received enrichment services from the gifted & talented teacher. All of them have become strong accelerated students on track for competitive colleges. National test scores do not reflect the commitment of the teachers or staff, they do not reflect actual progress for each individual child, and they should not be used to grade a school. Close Quote

Schools Near James River 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	30.6	820^th of 1110 public elementary schools	26.1%		31.4	817^th of 1114 public elementary schools	26.7%	3	73.1	54.9	72.0	65.3	55.8	47.6	66.7	50.9	$12,450	$1,079	$11,371
Katherine Johnson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	17346 Warwick Blvd	Newport News	23603	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 888-3320	553	30	18.4	98.6%	66 (11.9%)	332 (60.0%)	92 (16.6%)	4 (0.7%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (9.8%)	19	940^th of 1110 public elementary schools	15.3%		19.3	942^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	15.4%	2	51.2	56.1	57.3	57.3	50.6	63.4	52.0	58.5	$9,883	$932	$8,951
General Stanford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	929 Madison Ave.	Fort Eustis	23604	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 888-3200	430	22	19.5	99.5%	173 (40.2%)	82 (19.1%)	98 (22.8%)	16 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.2%)	55 (12.8%)	68.2	373^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	66.4%		57.7	514^th of 1114 public elementary schools	53.9%	141	82.1	72.7	85.2	88.9	63.8	78.5	90.7	73.9	$9,167	$5,546	$3,621
Magruder Elementary	Public	K-5	700 Penniman Rd	Williamsburg	23185	York County	York County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 220-4067	610	42	14.5	37.4%	297 (48.7%)	125 (20.5%)	98 (16.1%)	18 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (11.8%)	77.6	252^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	77.3%		75.5	270^th of 1114 public elementary schools	75.8%	18	84.9	81.2	84.2	80.0	82.9	87.1	82.4	79.0	$9,100	$717	$8,383
Oliver C. Greenwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13460 Woodside Lane	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 886-7744	549	31	17.7	100.0%	99 (18.0%)	237 (43.2%)	137 (25.0%)	23 (4.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (9.1%)	23.4	891^st of 1110 public elementary schools	19.7%		9.2	1038^th of 1114 public elementary schools	6.8%	147	63.8	62.5	54.7	57.7	60.0	63.2	53.5	52.3	$8,649	$685	$7,965
David A. Dutrow Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	60 Curtis Tignor Rd	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 886-7760	341	20	17.0	99.7%	55 (16.1%)	169 (49.6%)	64 (18.8%)	5 (1.5%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	44 (12.9%)	33.3	797^th of 1110 public elementary schools	28.2%		34.2	788^th of 1114 public elementary schools	29.3%	9	73.6	61.8	60.9	67.2	62.3	65.5	59.4	54.6	$8,935	$183	$8,752
Yorktown Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	131 Siege Ln	Yorktown	23692	York County	York County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(757) 898-0358	599	41	14.6	52.8%	267 (44.6%)	136 (22.7%)	84 (14.0%)	15 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	95 (15.9%)	71.8	328^th of 1110 public elementary schools	70.5%		70.1	357^th of 1114 public elementary schools	68.0%	29	87.6	80.4	80.4	75.5	83.8	84.8	78.3	69.6	$9,758	$800	$8,958
Richneck Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	205 Tyner Drive	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7772	502	26	19.3	99.6%	115 (22.9%)	225 (44.8%)	86 (17.1%)	17 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	57 (11.4%)	21.9	904^th of 1110 public elementary schools	18.6%		31.5	815^th of 1114 public elementary schools	26.8%	89	69.2	51.9	58.0	50.6	60.3	61.7	63.0	29.6	$8,202	$47	$8,155
Knollwood Meadows Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	826 Moyer Rd	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7783	460	23	20.0	99.6%	147 (32.0%)	161 (35.0%)	76 (16.5%)	16 (3.5%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (12.4%)	35.5	764^th of 1110 public elementary schools	31.2%		52	585^th of 1114 public elementary schools	47.5%	179	52.6	57.1	79.7	79.7	50.0	55.4	82.8	40.0	$10,077	$661	$9,415
George J. McIntosh Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	185 Richneck Rd	Newport News	23608	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 886-7767	446	25	17.8	100.7%	49 (11.0%)	236 (52.9%)	114 (25.6%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.0%)	14	988^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.0%		7.6	1051^st of 1114 public elementary schools	5.7%	63	52.2	34.7	60.8	60.8	39.7	42.4	60.3	43.8	$12,275	$1,538	$10,737

Frequently Asked Questions about James River Elementary

Is James River Elementary a good school?

James River Elementary ranks 820^th of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of James River Elementary?

Students at James River Elementary are 49% Hispanic, 24% White, 18% African American, 9% Two or more races.

What district is James River Elementary in?

Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools

How many students attend James River Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 449 students attended James River Elementary.

What schools do graduates of James River Elementary attend?

Students who attend James River Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : James Blair Middle
High : Jamestown High

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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.