Parklawn Elementary

Parklawn Elementary operates as a big primary school in Alexandria, Virginia, overseen by Fairfax County Public Schools. Current enrollment sits at 963 students spanning grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 499 students per school, that is 93% bigger than typical.

Across the 199 schools in Fairfax County Public Schools (179,323 students total), Parklawn Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Parklawn Elementary shows that the most-represented group is Hispanic (31%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder reads as 27% White, 25% Asian, 16% Black. By comparison, Fairfax County as a whole is about 18% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Parklawn Elementary has 69 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.0:1. That tracks the state average closely. An estimated 98% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is higher than Fairfax County's rate of about 37%.

After controlling for student poverty, Parklawn Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 61.4%; this one delivers 48.3%.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Fairfax County indicate median household income runs about $153,637, roughly 65% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. Across Fairfax County's 222 public schools (combined enrollment of about 174,475 students), Parklawn Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Glasgow Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Parklawn Elementary at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 64.0%.

The school occupies a suburban site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 34%: 716 students in 2018 compared to 963 in 2025. Asian enrollment moved from 10% to 25% across the same window.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.