Elk Knob Elementary

Elk Knob Elementary is a primary school of low-enrollment scale in Pennington Gap, Virginia, run under Lee County Public Schools, enrolling 291 students in grades pre-K through 4. By comparison, Virginia's public schools average about 499 students each, so Elk Knob Elementary sits 42% smaller than that benchmark.

Across the 10 schools in Lee County Public Schools (2,966 students total), Elk Knob Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Elk Knob Elementary shows that 97% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.2:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 13.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 88% of students at Elk Knob Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Elk Knob Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 64.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 72.5%.

In the broader community, Lee County reports that median household income runs about $41,827, roughly 14% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 23% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Elk Knob Elementary is one of 11 public schools in Lee County (combined enrollment of about 2,966 students).

The closest other public school is Pennington Middle, roughly 2.6 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Elk Knob Elementary ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 67.4%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 21%: 368 students in 2018 compared to 291 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 15.3:1 in 2018 to 12.2:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.