Florence Bowser Elementary

As a big primary school in Suffolk, Virginia, Florence Bowser Elementary teaches 926 students from grades pre-K through 5, operated by Suffolk City Public Schools. By comparison, Virginia's public schools average about 499 students each, so Florence Bowser Elementary sits 86% larger than that benchmark.

Across the 19 schools in Suffolk City Public Schools (14,565 students total), Florence Bowser Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Florence Bowser Elementary logs that the largest single group is Black at 39%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school lists 38% White, 14% Hispanic, 8% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

In terms of school funding signals, Florence Bowser Elementary lists 44 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 21.1:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.8:1 average. Around 69% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Florence Bowser Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 69.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 76.3%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Suffolk city put median household earnings sit near $92,666, about 33% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Florence Bowser Elementary is one of 22 public schools in Suffolk city (combined enrollment of about 14,565 students).

Nearest neighbor: John Yeates Middle, around 1.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 7 other public schools cluster around Florence Bowser Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Florence Bowser Elementary at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 78.0%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Over the past 7-year window. Florence Bowser Elementary's enrollment has ticked up 55% since 2018, when it stood at 597 (now 926). Hispanic enrollment moved from 4% to 14% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 16.6:1 in 2018 to 21.1:1 today.

On this page, members of the Florence Bowser Elementary community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.