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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 23504

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At a glance

Schools

1,656

Students

Top rankedLindenwood Elementary911^th of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Richard Bowling Elementary up 37 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 23504 in Norfolk, VA is home to Jacox Elementary, Richard Bowling Elementary, Chesterfield Elementary, and Lindenwood Elementary — all four serving grades PK-5 within Norfolk City Public Schools, a district currently ranked 112th out of 131 Virginia divisions.

These schools enroll about 1,656 students total, and nearly every student comes from a low-income household (free/reduced lunch rates exceed 99%). Despite that similarity, outcomes vary widely. Lindenwood Elementary is the clear academic leader, with the highest state rank (18th percentile), best average SOL proficiency (~57%), highest per-student spending ($15,075), and the smallest class sizes (11:1). It also beats the state average in 4th grade VA Studies. Richard Bowling Elementary stands out for attendance: just 7.6% chronic absenteeism, far below the district (17.9%) and state (14.8%), and it also exceeds state averages in 4th grade VA Studies while posting strong 4th grade reading scores. In contrast, Jacox Elementary has the highest absenteeism (35.6%), the lowest spending per student ($9,796), largest classes (13.5:1), and a rank in the 3rd percentile. Chesterfield Elementary is the most struggling, ranking in the 0th percentile with the lowest average proficiency (~35.6%) and chronic absenteeism at 24.3%.

The big takeaway for parents: even in high-poverty schools, attendance and resources make a measurable difference. The two schools with the best attendance and higher spending — Lindenwood and Richard Bowling — also have the best academic results. Grade-level performance can swing sharply within a school (for example, Lindenwood hits 71% in 3rd grade math but only 48% in 5th grade math), so it is worth looking at subject-specific results. Virginia Studies is a surprising bright spot for Richard Bowling and Lindenwood, both surpassing the state average. While no school here is ranked highly statewide, the gap between the top and bottom schools in this zip code is significant, suggesting school-level practices matter. If you are choosing between these schools, Lindenwood offers the strongest overall academics, Richard Bowling offers the most consistent attendance, and both Jacox and Chesterfield may require extra attention around attendance and support.

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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
Richard Bowling Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2700 E. Princess Anne Rd.	Norfolk	23504	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 628-2515	492	42	11.7	99.8%	14 (2.8%)	432 (87.8%)	26 (5.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.5%)	15.5	983^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	11.5%		10.6	1020^th of 1110 public elementary schools	8.1%	37	56.7	55.0	44.4	31.5	48.3	63.3	51.9	71.7	48.2	$10,778	$1,951	$8,827
Chesterfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2915 Westminster Ave	Norfolk	23504	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 628-2544	325	28	11.6	100.6%	5 (1.5%)	280 (86.2%)	21 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	14 (4.3%)	1.3	1106^th of 1111 public elementary schools	0.5%		4.3	1078^th of 1110 public elementary schools	2.9%	28	41.9	31.3	39.0	31.7	30.2	43.8	36.6	29.2	36.6	$11,841	$2,032	$9,809
Jacox Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Marshall Ave	Norfolk	23504	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 628-2433	596	44	13.5	99.3%	18 (3.0%)	521 (87.4%)	38 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	16 (2.7%)	4.6	1079^th of 1111 public elementary schools	2.9%		3.5	1084^th of 1110 public elementary schools	2.3%	5	48.5	28.8	49.4	35.8	46.3	36.4	51.9	33.3	44.4	$9,796	$1,811	$7,985
Lindenwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2700 Ludlow St	Norfolk	23504	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 628-2577	243	22	11.0	99.6%	21 (8.6%)	170 (70.0%)	35 (14.4%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.3%)	23.6	911^th of 1111 public elementary schools	18.0%		20.9	919^th of 1110 public elementary schools	17.2%	8	71.1	51.4	48.0	44.0	60.5	62.2	52.0	71.4	52.2	$15,075	$2,293	$12,782

Cities Near Zip Code 23504

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Norfolk	0.23 mi	59	320^th
Portsmouth	2.98 mi	23	334^th
Chesapeake	3.13 mi	53	134^th
Virginia Beach	4.77 mi	88	125^th
Suffolk	8.42 mi	23	231^st

See the top VA Virginia cities

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.