Keister Elementary

Keister Elementary is one of the mid-sized elementary campuss in Harrisonburg, Virginia, operated by Harrisonburg City Public Schools, with 475 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5.

Harrisonburg City Public Schools runs 10 schools in total, collectively educating 6,652 students. Keister Elementary is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Keister Elementary records that 49% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest consists of 36% White, 10% Black, 4% multiracial. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 24%.

Looking at school resources, The school reports having 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.8:1, putting Keister Elementary higher than the state norm the norm. About 85% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

With demographic context factored in, Keister Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 65.0%, the actual is 62.6%, a residual of -2.3 points.

Zooming out to the county, Harrisonburg city reports that the typical household earns roughly $62,254 per year, 38% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 12%. Across Harrisonburg city's 13 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,934 students), Keister Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Thomas Harrison Middle, around 1.0 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Keister Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Keister Elementary at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 51.6%.

Keister Elementary operates from a downtown location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Keister Elementary has ticked up 28%, going from 371 students in 2018 to 475 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment ticked up from 42% to 49% over that span. Class-load math has rose: from 12.8:1 in 2018 to 14.8:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Keister Elementary community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.