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What advice would you give to incoming students at Florence Bowser Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
926
Elementary
DISTRICT 635 · STATE 499
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SUFFOLK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510371001615
Florence Bowser Elementary
4540 Nansemond Pkwy, Suffolk, VA 23435 · (757) 923-4106 · Suffolk city
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL926 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
21.1:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.7:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
69%
642 students
DISTRICT 69% · STATE 66%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 85 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 138 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 126 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 140 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 151 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 136 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 150 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (138) is 8% smaller than its 5th grade class (150).
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
SOL 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
76.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +0.0pp since 2022
Math
78.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +2.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 76 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 78 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2022, while math scores are up about 2 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 76.0% | 78.0% |
| 2023-24 | 75.0% | 80.0% |
| 2022-23 | 76.0% | 76.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
76.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.2%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 76% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 69% typical for Virginia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Virginia's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Florence Bowser Elementary
Florence Bowser Elementary's state test result (76.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Bowser Elementary this school | 926 | 69.3% | 76.3% |
| Western Branch Primary Chesapeake | 801 | 73.7% | N/A |
| Northern Shores Elementary Suffolk | 798 | 69.0% | 79.1% |
| Western Branch Intermediate Chesapeake | 795 | 73.7% | 74.0% |
| B.M. Williams Primary Chesapeake | 825 | 74.2% | N/A |
| Ecoff Elementary Chester | 764 | 76.6% | 67.4% |
Matched among Virginia elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Florence Bowser Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Suffolk city |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 76.3% | #410 of 1,101 | #3 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 78.0% | #471 of 1,111 ▼ 113 | #4 of 11 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 76.0% | #439 of 1,111 ▲ 25 | #3 of 11 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 926 | #26 of 1,176 | #1 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.1:1 | #1,102 of 1,105 | #11 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.2% | #292 of 1,106 | #2 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 69.3% | #700 of 1,157 | #4 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +55.1% | #8 of 324 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
926
+217 (+31%) vs 2020
+66% since 1990-91, when it was 558
Student : Teacher
21.1:1
was 15.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 926 | 44 | 21.1:1 | 69% (642) |
| 2023-24 | 874 | 44 | 19.9:1 | 69% (599) |
| 2022-23 | 831 | 48 | 17.3:1 | 64% (535) |
| 2020-21 | 709 | 46 | 15.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 597 | 36 | 16.6:1 | 34% (204) |
| 2015-16 | 306 | 18 | 17.0:1 | 30% (92) |
| 2010-11 | 373 | 19 | 19.6:1 | 28% (106) |
| 2000-01 | 477 | 29 | 16.4:1 | 51% (242) |
| 1990-91 | 558 | 28 | 19.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Florence Bowser Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 55% (597 to 926); teachers up 22% (36 to 44).
About Florence Bowser Elementary
A large elementary school in Suffolk, Virginia, Florence Bowser Elementary is part of Suffolk City Public Schools. It covers pre-K through 5, with a total enrollment of 926 students. Enrollment is 86% higher than the average for elementary schools in Virginia, which is about 499.
Suffolk City Public Schools has 14,565 students in 19 schools, and Florence Bowser Elementary is one of those schools.
Enrollment at Florence Bowser Elementary is mixed, with Black students the largest group at 39%. It is also 38% White, 14% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. For comparison, Suffolk city is about 42% Black. Florence Bowser Elementary has a diversity index of 68%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Florence Bowser Elementary's 44 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 21.1:1. That ratio is over the 13.8:1 average for elementary schools in Virginia. The school's rate of free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 69%. That is close to the 69% average for public schools in Suffolk city.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Florence Bowser Elementary would be expected to post about 69.2%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 76.3%.
Census Bureau estimates for Suffolk city show that median household income is about $92,666, 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. A total of 22 public schools operate in Suffolk city, serving about 14,565 students.
Nearby, John Yeates Middle is about 1.4 miles away. Florence Bowser Elementary is one of several public schools in the area, with 7 others within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Florence Bowser Elementary at 6th of 8.
The school's federal locale classification is Rural: Fringe.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count grew from 709 to 926. Students per teacher rose from 15.4 in 2020-21 to 21.1 in 2024-25.
If you have questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Florence Bowser Elementary, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Suffolk city at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
98,796
Census ACS
Median income
$92,666
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
22
14,565 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Suffolk City Public Schools
- King's Fork HighHigh · 1,686 students
- Nansemond River HighHigh · 1,683 students
- Lakeland HighHigh · 1,045 students
- King's Fork MiddleMiddle · 986 students
- Northern Shores ElementaryElementary · 798 students
- Hillpoint ElementaryElementary · 780 students
Other schools in Suffolk
- King's Fork HighHigh · 1,686 students
- Nansemond River HighHigh · 1,683 students
- Lakeland HighHigh · 1,045 students
- King's Fork MiddleMiddle · 986 students
- Northern Shores ElementaryElementary · 798 students
- Hillpoint ElementaryElementary · 780 students
Nearby schools
- John Yeates Middle1.4 mi · 509
- Nansemond River High2.2 mi · 1,683
- Creekside Elementary2.4 mi · 764
- Nansemond Parkway Elementary2.8 mi · 456
- Edwin W. Chittum Elementary4.6 mi · 762
- Jolliff Middle4.8 mi · 753
Frequently asked questions
About Florence Bowser ElementaryHow large is Florence Bowser Elementary?
Florence Bowser Elementary enrolls approximately 926 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Florence Bowser Elementary serve?
Florence Bowser Elementary serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Florence Bowser Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Florence Bowser Elementary is approximately 21.1:1 (44 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Florence Bowser Elementary?
At Florence Bowser Elementary, the student body is approximately 38% White, 14% Hispanic, 39% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is Florence Bowser Elementary in?
Florence Bowser Elementary is part of Suffolk City Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.