Richard Bowling Elementary

Located at 2700 E. Princess Anne Rd., in Norfolk, Virginia, Richard Bowling Elementary is an average-sized elementary-level community that educates 492 students (grades pre-K through 5), part of Norfolk City Public Schools.

Within Norfolk City Public Schools, which oversees 44 schools and 26,807 students, Richard Bowling Elementary is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, Richard Bowling Elementary lists that the student body is overwhelmingly Black (88%); the rest consists of 5% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, 3% White. That is noticeably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 40%.

Looking at school resources, The school employs 42 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.7:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.8:1 average. An estimated 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Richard Bowling Elementary falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 60.9%; this one comes in at 45.3%, -15.7 points off the demographic line.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Norfolk city indicate median household income runs about $66,109, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 12%. In all, Norfolk city runs 54 public schools (combined enrollment of about 26,807 students), of which Richard Bowling Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Jacox Elementary, roughly 0.4 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Richard Bowling Elementary comes 4th of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 44.6%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Richard Bowling Elementary has fell 14%, going from 575 students in 2018 to 492 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 14.5:1 in 2018 to 11.7:1 today.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.