Walker Upper Elementary

As a tight-knit middle-grades school in Charlottesville, Virginia, Walker Upper Elementary hosts 570 students from grades 5 through 6, run under Charlottesville City Public Schools. That puts it 24% below the typical public school in Virginia, which averages around 750 students.

Across the 9 schools in Charlottesville City Public Schools (4,439 students total), Walker Upper Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Walker Upper Elementary logs that 40% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest looks like 25% Black, 15% multiracial, 13% Hispanic, 7% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 67% White, putting the school's mix considerably less White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school lists 63 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 9.0:1. The state averages around 13.1:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 79% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

After controlling for student poverty, Walker Upper Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 66.6%; this one delivers 61.0%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Charlottesville city put median household income runs about $74,824, roughly 63% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Charlottesville city's 15 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,150 students), Walker Upper Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Charlottesville High, roughly 0.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Walker Upper Elementary ranks 8th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 70.5%.

The school occupies an urban site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 7%: 610 students in 2018 compared to 570 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share declined from 36% to 25%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 12.9:1 in 2018 to 9.0:1 today.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.