Smithland Elementary

Located at 474 Linda Lane, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Smithland Elementary is an average-sized primary school that instructs 514 students (grades K through 5), overseen by Harrisonburg City Public Schools.

Harrisonburg City Public Schools comprises 10 schools with combined enrollment of 6,652 students; Smithland Elementary is among them.

Demographically, Smithland Elementary logs that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 62% of enrollment. The remainder consists of 22% White, 9% Black, 4% Asian, 3% multiracial. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 24%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Smithland Elementary has 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.2:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 110% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Harrisonburg city (around 87%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Harrisonburg city shows the typical household earns roughly $62,254 per year, roughly 38% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Harrisonburg city's 13 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,934 students), Smithland Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Skyline Middle, roughly 0.0 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 34%: 780 students in 2018 compared to 514 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 56% to 62%. Class-load math has fell: from 16.1:1 in 2018 to 13.2:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.