Summary:
ZIP code 23435 in Suffolk, VA is home to three public elementary schools—Florence Bowser Elementary, Northern Shores Elementary, and Creekside Elementary—all part of Suffolk City Public Schools, serving grades PK-5 and enrolling roughly 2,488 students.
Northern Shores stands out as the strongest school in the area, ranking 323rd in Virginia (71st percentile) with a 4-star rating and the highest average SOL proficiency at about 80.7%. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 7.6%. Creekside is the most improved, climbing from the 45th to 55th percentile in a year, with notable gains in reading, math, and Virginia Studies; it also spends the most per student ($7,668) and has the smallest class sizes (16.2 student-teacher ratio). Florence Bowser is the largest school with 926 students, but it has declined for two consecutive years, now sitting at the 49th percentile with the lowest per-student spending ($6,667) and the highest student-teacher ratio (21.0).
All three schools share nearly identical free/reduced lunch rates around 69%, yet proficiency varies from about 73% at Florence Bowser to 80.7% at Northern Shores, showing that school-level factors matter. Chronic absenteeism also tracks with performance: Northern Shores has the lowest rate (7.6%) while Creekside has the highest (11.7%). 3rd-grade reading is a common weakness, with Florence Bowser (60.54%) and Creekside (60.91%) below state and district averages, though Northern Shores excels at 77.42%. Despite these differences, all three schools rank above the district average, suggesting 23435 contains some of the stronger elementary options within Suffolk City Public Schools.
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