These Are The Top Elementary Schools In VA, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

Old Donation School in Virginia Beach is the best public elementary school in Virginia, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers based the 2026 ranking of the nation’s best public elementary schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Elementary schools are considered either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6 in the analysis. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered.

The top 25 public elementary schools in Virginia are:

1. Old Donation School, Virginia Beach
2. Sangster Elementary, Springfield
3. St. Paul Elementary, St. Paul
4. Arlington Traditional, Arlington
5. Haycock Elementary, Falls Church
6. North Landing Elementary, Virginia Beach
7. Wolftrap Elementary, Vienna
8. Tabb Elementary, Yorktown
9. Kent Gardens Elementary, McLean
10. Gayton Elementary, Richmond
11. Spring Hill Elementary, McLean
12. Kingston Elementary, Virginia Beach
13. Colvin Run Elementary, Vienna
14. Poplar Tree Elementary, Chantilly
15. Mount Vernon Elementary, Yorktown
16. Grandin Court Elementary, Roanoke
17. Pole Green Elementary, Mechanicsville
18. Westbriar Elementary, Vienna
19. Keene Mill Elementary, Springfield
20. Silverbrook Elementary, Fairfax Station
21. Mary G. Porter Traditional, Woodbridge
22. Coventry Elementary, Yorktown
23. Harding Avenue Elementary, Blacksburg
24. Pennington Traditional, Manassas
25. Canterbury Woods Elementary, Annandale

The report includes about 47,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.

SEE ALSO:

• Top 25 High Schools In Virginia For 2025-26: U.S. News & World Report
• VA's Best Public High Schools Ranked In New Analysis
• These Are The Best School Districts In NoVA, New Ranking Says

For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for recognition.

“The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all,” U.S. News said of the report.

The rankings methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.