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What advice would you give to incoming students at Northern Shores Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
798
Elementary
DISTRICT 635 · STATE 499
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SUFFOLK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510371001475
Northern Shores Elementary
6701 Respass Beach Rd, Suffolk, VA 23435 · (757) 923-4169 · Suffolk city
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL798 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 79% of Virginia public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Virginia public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
19.5:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.7:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
69%
551 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 | 44 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 109 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 135 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 125 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 130 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 125 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 130 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (109) is 16% smaller than its 5th grade class (130).
Student demographics
70%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
79.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +5.0pp since 2022
Math
85.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +8.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 79 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 85 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are up about 5 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 8 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 79.0% | 85.0% |
| 2023-24 | 79.0% | 82.0% |
| 2022-23 | 74.0% | 77.0% |
% 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
79.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.3%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 79% 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 Northern Shores Elementary
Northern Shores Elementary's state test result (79.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Shores Elementary this school | 798 | 69.0% | 79.1% |
| Western Branch Primary Chesapeake | 801 | 73.7% | N/A |
| Western Branch Intermediate Chesapeake | 795 | 73.7% | 74.0% |
| Florence Bowser Elementary Suffolk | 926 | 69.3% | 76.3% |
| Georgetown Primary Chesapeake | 804 | 72.6% | 60.0% |
| B.M. Williams Primary Chesapeake | 825 | 74.2% | N/A |
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 Northern Shores Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Suffolk city |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 79.1% | #332 of 1,101 | #2 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 85.0% | #264 of 1,111 ▲ 30 | #2 of 11 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 79.0% | #370 of 1,111 ▼ 14 | #2 of 11 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 798 | #93 of 1,176 | #2 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.5:1 | #1,091 of 1,105 | #9 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.1% | #220 of 1,106 | #1 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 69.0% | #709 of 1,157 | #10 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.8% | #422 of 759 | #4 of 7 |
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
798
+37 (+5%) vs 2020
+21% since 2000-01, when it was 657
Student : Teacher
19.5:1
was 15.8:1
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 | 798 | 41 | 19.5:1 | 69% (551) |
| 2023-24 | 837 | 46 | 18.2:1 | 69% (576) |
| 2022-23 | 822 | 48 | 17.1:1 | 65% (531) |
| 2020-21 | 761 | 48 | 15.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 895 | 48 | 18.6:1 | 23% (208) |
| 2015-16 | 862 | 46 | 18.7:1 | 19% (168) |
| 2010-11 | 784 | 37 | 21.2:1 | 16% (129) |
| 2000-01 | 657 | 36 | 18.3:1 | 23% (149) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Northern Shores Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (895 to 798); teachers down 15% (48 to 41).
About Northern Shores Elementary
Northern Shores Elementary is a large elementary school with its address in Suffolk, Virginia. The school serves pre-K through 5. Enrollment is 798 students. By comparison, elementary schools in Virginia enroll about 499 students on average.
Suffolk City Public Schools has 19 schools; together they serve 14,565 students.
No group is above 50% at Northern Shores Elementary; the largest is Black, at 42%. Other reported shares: 31% White, 12% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, and 5% Asian. Among Suffolk city residents, the Black share is about 42%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Northern Shores Elementary scores 70%.
Its ratio of 19.5:1 is based on 41 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, elementary schools in Virginia average 13.8:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 69%. The figure for public schools in Suffolk city is close, at 69%.
Northern Shores Elementary earns an A- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 79% of Virginia public elementary schools.
Schools in Virginia with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 69.3%. Northern Shores Elementary scores 79.1%.
For the population of Suffolk city, median household income comes to about $92,666, roughly 33% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Suffolk city's 22 public schools enroll about 14,565 students and include Northern Shores Elementary.
Among nearby public schools, Colonel Fred Cherry Middle is closest at about 0.5 miles. Northern Shores Elementary is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Northern Shores Elementary comes in 2nd of 7 nearby schools on average proficiency.
NCES lists the school's locale as Suburb: Large. That means it sits in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
By 2024-25, enrollment had risen to 798, from 761 in 2020-21. The school's ratio increased from 15.8:1 to 19.5:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
The discussion board for Northern Shores Elementary is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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
- Florence Bowser ElementaryElementary · 926 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
- Florence Bowser ElementaryElementary · 926 students
- Hillpoint ElementaryElementary · 780 students
Nearby schools
- Colonel Fred Cherry Middle0.5 mi · 736
- Churchland Primary & Intermediate1.6 mi · 503
- Churchland Academy Elementary1.9 mi · 626
- Churchland Preschool Center1.9 mi · 112
- Churchland Middle1.9 mi · 798
- Churchland High2.4 mi · 1,453
Frequently asked questions
About Northern Shores ElementaryHow large is Northern Shores Elementary?
Northern Shores Elementary enrolls approximately 798 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Northern Shores Elementary serve?
Northern Shores Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Northern Shores Elementary?
Approximately 19.5:1 students per teacher at Northern Shores Elementary.
How diverse is Northern Shores Elementary?
Northern Shores Elementary reports a student body of 31% White, 12% Hispanic, 42% Black, 5% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is Northern Shores Elementary in?
Northern Shores Elementary is part of Suffolk City Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.