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Rural Retreat Elementary

Q: Is Rural Retreat Elementary a good school?

Rural Retreat Elementary ranks 262 nd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

262^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 76% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Rural Retreat Elementary is a PK-5 public school in Rural Retreat, Virginia, serving about 350 students within Wythe County Public Schools. The school has built a reputation as a "high-poverty, high-performance" school — one that consistently delivers strong academic results despite significant economic challenges. While it was once ranked as high as #6 in Virginia in 2017-18, it currently holds a 4-star rating and ranks 262nd out of 1,111 elementary schools in the state (76th percentile), placing it solidly in the top quarter of Virginia elementary schools.

The school's most impressive numbers are in the early grades. In 2025-26, 3rd graders posted a 98% proficiency rate in math and 92% in reading — well above district and state averages. This is especially notable given that roughly 81% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Rural Retreat serves economically disadvantaged students exceptionally well, ranking in the 85th percentile statewide for that subgroup. The school has also made dramatic progress on attendance: chronic absenteeism fell from 28.4% in 2021-22 to just 6.0% in 2024-25, less than half the state rate. All of this is accomplished while spending less per student ($8,409) than every comparable nearby school — including Max Meadows Elementary, which spends about $12,923 per student.

That said, there are a few things worth watching. The school's overall ranking has drifted downward since its elite 2017-18 peak, and while 3rd-grade scores are extraordinary, its advantage narrows by 5th grade — where results align closely with district averages. Nearby Speedwell Elementary, only 8 miles away with similar demographics, posted stronger 5th-grade scores in math (94% vs. 77%) and reading (94% vs. 81%). Additionally, female students' rankings have slipped in recent years while male students' scores have remained strong. Overall, Rural Retreat remains an efficient, improving school that does more with less — and its early-grade results are among the best in the region.

350

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,889

Per pupil spending ?

80.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

100 Martha Debord Way
Rural Retreat, VA 24368

(276) 686-4125

District: Wythe County Public Schools

Students who attend Rural Retreat Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rural Retreat Middle
High:	Rural Retreat High

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.6%

Two or more races:

2.6%

Hispanic:

2.3%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 75th percentile in 2016 → 76th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (84% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of Virginia elementary schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school84%

District avg79%

Virginia avg72%

262^nd of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Elementary Schools in the Wythe County Public Schools

13^th of 131Wythe 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	76.6	262 of 1111	76.4%	★★★★☆
2025	84.6	134 of 1110	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	84.9	121 of 1114	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	82.1	172 of 1114	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	85.9	119 of 1109	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	83.2	164 of 1103	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	88.0	39 of 1105	96.5%	★★★★★
2018	93.7	6 of 1097	99.5%	★★★★★
2017	84.1	91 of 1099	91.7%	★★★★★
2016	72.4	270 of 1096	75.4%	★★★★☆
2015	58.3	512 of 1100	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	60.2	441 of 1110	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	72.1	270 of 1120	75.9%	★★★★☆
2012	60.3	440 of 1117	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.0	353 of 1117	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.1	548 of 1113	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	45.8	690 of 1082	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	18.2	1017 of 1081	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	38.6	778 of 1083	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	44.9	695 of 1071	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	51.6	557 of 1062	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	66.8	379 of 1100	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	81.2	169 of 1096	84.6%	★★★★☆
2024	88.9	46 of 1098	95.8%	★★★★★
2023	88.9	48 of 1100	95.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	76.5	155 of 1040	85.1%	★★★★☆
2025	85.1	84 of 1046	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.4	24 of 1036	97.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	82.9	134 of 1099	87.8%	★★★★☆
2025	84.4	113 of 1093	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	76.5	245 of 1101	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	70.5	308 of 1093	71.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	57.2	448 of 974	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.1	279 of 973	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	221 of 979	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	70.2	256 of 984	74.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2026)88th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)85th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)66th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)54th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

English Reading87%+16 vs state

Mathematics86%+13 vs state

VA Studies84%+14 vs state

Science72%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rural Retreat 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 (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Rural Retreat Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Martha Debord Way	Rural Retreat	24368	Wythe County	Wythe County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 686-4125	350	26	13.3	80.9%	331 (94.6%)	2 (0.6%)	8 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	76.6	262^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	76.4%		84.6	134^th of 1110 public elementary schools	87.9%	128	98.0	86.4	77.0	71.6	92.2	90.9	81.1	84.1	$8,889	$1,284	$7,606
Speedwell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6820 Cedar Springs Rd	Speedwell	24374	Wythe County	Wythe County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 621-4622	123	12	9.9	82.1%	116 (94.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	83.5	152^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	86.3%		67.1	391^st of 1110 public elementary schools	64.8%	239	95.5	95.2	94.1	81.3	81.8	76.2	93.8	85.7	$12,783	$2,206	$10,576
Atkins Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5903 Lee Hwy	Atkins	24311	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 783-3366	168	17	9.7	—	156 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	52.9	581^st of 1111 public elementary schools	47.7%		58.7	496^th of 1110 public elementary schools	55.3%	85	80.0	65.4	66.7	70.8	64.0	73.1	83.3	76.0	$12,686	$1,518	$11,168
Spiller Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	330 Tazewell St	Wytheville	24382	Wythe County	Wythe County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 228-3561	615	48	12.8	82.4%	519 (84.4%)	33 (5.4%)	23 (3.7%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	32 (5.2%)	58.8	495^th of 1111 public elementary schools	55.4%		61.5	460^th of 1110 public elementary schools	58.6%	35	73.2	80.7	83.2	66.7	72.6	73.2	75.6	74.4	$10,310	$1,728	$8,583
Sugar Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	242 Teas Rd	Sugar Grove	24375	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 677-3311	88	11	8.1	95.5%	85 (96.6%)	2 (2.3%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	72.1	319^th of 1111 public elementary schools	71.3%		64.5	429^th of 1110 public elementary schools	61.4%	110	87.5	76.9	84.6	76.9	87.5	84.6	84.6	61.5	$19,021	$3,498	$15,524
Marion Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	188 Star Mountain Dr	Marion	24354	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 783-3021	298	22	13.7	—	264 (88.6%)	17 (5.7%)	9 (3.0%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	69.2	360^th of 1111 public elementary schools	67.6%		65.7	407^th of 1110 public elementary schools	63.3%	47	84.3	81.0	81.8	70.5	82.4	84.5	70.5	77.6	$10,445	$1,496	$8,950
Smyth County Virtual	Public, Virtual	K-2	121 Bagley Circle	Marion	24354	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(276) 783-3791	339	20	16.9	—	132 (38.9%)	102 (30.1%)	49 (14.5%)	9 (2.7%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (13.0%)								(n/a)									$10,245	$00	$10,245
Sheffey Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	621 Piney Mt. Rd	Wytheville	24382	Wythe County	Wythe County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 699-1771	224	21	10.4	79.0%	209 (93.3%)	2 (0.9%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (4.0%)	65.9	401^st of 1111 public elementary schools	63.9%		76.6	269^th of 1110 public elementary schools	75.8%	132	83.8	75.0	59.4	81.3	70.3	77.1	90.6	87.5	$10,141	$1,302	$8,839
Bland County Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	31 Rocket Drive	Bland	24315	Bland County	Bland County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 688-3621	301	26	11.6	75.4%	285 (94.7%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.7%)	62.6	444^th of 1111 public elementary schools	60.0%		43.1	686^th of 1110 public elementary schools	38.2%	242	85.5	75.0	75.5	79.6	74.6	72.5	71.4	75.0	$14,694	$586	$14,108
Max Meadows Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	213 School St	Max Meadows	24360	Wythe County	Wythe County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 637-3211	201	20	10.0	82.6%	187 (93.0%)	2 (1.0%)	8 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	74.1	290^th of 1111 public elementary schools	73.9%		65.3	411^th of 1110 public elementary schools	63.0%	121	79.2	88.6	72.0	84.0	70.8	88.6	76.0	91.4	$13,872	$1,331	$12,541

Frequently Asked Questions about Rural Retreat Elementary

What schools do graduates of Rural Retreat Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rural Retreat Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rural Retreat Middle
High : Rural Retreat High

Is Rural Retreat Elementary a good school?

Rural Retreat Elementary ranks 262^nd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Rural Retreat Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 350 students attended Rural Retreat Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Rural Retreat Elementary?

Students at Rural Retreat Elementary are 95% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What district is Rural Retreat Elementary in?

Wythe County Public Schools

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2023–24 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 12, 2026

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 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.