Four ACPS Schools Make Local Magazine's 'Best Elementary Schools' List

Four of the city’s public schools made the list of “Best Elementary Schools” as researched by Northern Virginia magazine – Charles Barrett, Douglas Macarthur, George Mason and .

The magazine determined the top 25 percent of Northern Virginia elementary schools by reviewing the percentage of students who passed last year’s Standards of Learning tests, the percentage who performed above average on SOLs, the percent average of how students performed on SOLs in a three-year time period and the percentage of students who received a free/reduced lunch.

The report also lists teacher credentials, safety records and programs and awards.

For example, at Old Town’s Lyles-Crouch 78 percent of the teachers hold master’s degrees, 3 percent doctoral and 19 percent hold a bachelor’s.

The four schools chosen offer from 26 percent to about 31 percent of their populations free and reduced price lunches. That’s an interesting contrast to Arlington County, which of the six public elementary schools selected by the magazine, the free and reduced price lunch percentage ranges from 2 percent to 18 percent. The Fairfax County schools highlighted overall have a lower free and reduced price lunch population.

Northern Virginia magazine also highlighted some of what it deemed “the best private elementary schools” with different assessments and often less information than the public institutions. The top schools listed are Alexandria Country Day, Grace Episcopal and St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes.