Willard Elementary

Summary:

Willard Elementary is a public elementary school in Norfolk, Virginia, serving 506 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Norfolk City Public Schools district, which is ranked 105 out of 130 districts in Virginia and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Willard Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance, particularly in mathematics, science, and English reading, where it outperforms the district and state averages. The school's African American and Hispanic students also excel, with the Hispanic subgroup ranking 139 out of 580 Virginia elementary schools. However, Willard Elementary serves a predominantly low-income student population, with 97-99% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, which may present unique challenges. The school's spending per student is also lower than some nearby schools, such as Larchmont Elementary and Ghent K-8, which have significantly higher statewide rankings and academic achievement.

Despite these challenges, Willard Elementary has maintained a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.2 to 13.6 over the past three school years, suggesting a favorable learning environment. The school's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, but in the 2023-2024 school year, it ranked 636 out of 1,114 Virginia elementary schools, with a 2-star rating. This suggests that there may be opportunities for Willard Elementary to learn from the practices and strategies of higher-performing nearby schools and continue to support the success of its students.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 1511 Willow Wood Dr
       Norfolk, VA  23509


(757) 628-2721

District: Norfolk City Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
636th of 1,114 Virginia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,420 Help


Students who attend Willard Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Norview Middle
High:    Matthew Fontaine Maury High

Student/teacher ratio:  13.6 Help
Number of students:  506

Racial breakdown:

African American:
58.9%
White:
18.2%
Hispanic:
14.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  97.8% Help


 See top rated Virginia elementary schools

 Compare Willard Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Willard Elementary ranks worse than 57.1% of elementary schools in Virginia. It also ranks 6th among 29 ranked elementary schools in the Norfolk City Public Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 48.3. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Willard Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Norfolk City Public Schools District.  (See more...)
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Willard Elementary is $8,420. 18 elementary schools in the Norfolk City Public Schools District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Willard Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Willard Elementary 636th of 1114 Virginia public elementary schools. (See Willard Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Military Connected students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:


Norfolk City Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Norfolk City Public Schools 105th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Willard Elementary.

What do you think?

Your rating for Willard Elementary?

Rank History for Willard Elementary

Help
Compare

Rank History for all students at Willard Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 47.34 627th 1062 41.0%
2006 46.79 672nd 1071 37.3%
2007 32.85 867th 1083 19.9%
2008 33.45 849th 1081 21.5%
2009 54.40 521st 1082 51.8%
2010 43.98 763rd 1113 31.4%
2011 29.33 948th 1117 15.1%
2012 26.44 975th 1117 12.7%
2013 19.66 1006th 1120 10.2%
2014 25.40 949th 1110 14.5%
2015 47.76 667th 1100 39.4%
2016 49.22 637th 1096 41.9%
2017 55.07 545th 1099 50.4%
2018 31.01 862nd 1097 21.4%
2019 45.11 688th 1105 37.7%
2021 18.83 919th 1103 16.7%
2022 50.81 594th 1109 46.4%
2023 42.55 696th 1114 37.5%
2024 48.30 636th 1114 42.9%
See the entire list of Virginia Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Willard Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 64.97 345th 1036 66.7%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Willard Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 38.22 749th 1100 31.9%
2024 50.39 610th 1098 44.4%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Willard Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 61.69 79th 195 59.5%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Willard Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 44.73 657th 1093 39.9%
2024 44.74 674th 1101 38.8%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Willard Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 52.05 316th 579 45.4%
2024 59.81 247th 588 58.0%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Willard Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 73.02 139th 580 76.0%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Willard Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 59.15 424th 984 56.9%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Willard Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Virginia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Open Quote A great school, welcoming and family friendly. My children for the most part have had excellent teachers, and the staff and administration are friendly and family oriented. The PTA is doing great things, and recently had new carpet put in the gym among other accomplishments. There are many extra-curricular activities and clubs that the children can take part in. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Willard Elementary

Help
Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 67 67
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 28 28
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 570 570
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 584 584
1993 328 268 7 10 0 n/a n/a 0 613
1994 303 248 9 5 0 n/a n/a 0 565
1995 271 316 5 7 0 n/a n/a 0 599
1996 271 316 5 7 0 n/a n/a 0 599
1997 251 294 4 9 0 n/a n/a 0 558
1998 214 327 3 6 0 n/a n/a 0 550
1999 227 331 5 2 1 n/a n/a 0 566
2000 227 342 4 9 0 n/a n/a -4 578
2001 219 359 4 14 4 n/a n/a 0 600
2002 217 389 6 17 6 n/a n/a 0 635
2003 217 389 6 17 6 n/a n/a 0 635
2004 203 401 7 17 1 n/a n/a 0 629
2005 179 383 5 18 4 n/a n/a 0 589
2006 169 351 8 21 5 n/a n/a 0 554
2007 141 347 9 27 3 n/a n/a 31 558
2008 137 302 11 28 3 n/a n/a 36 517
2009 133 257 9 28 0 n/a n/a 50 477
2010 143 229 10 25 1 n/a n/a 51 459
2011 145 274 13 34 1 1 28 0 496
2012 153 382 10 56 3 2 48 0 654
2013 124 397 6 58 3 3 45 0 636
2014 124 365 4 63 3 1 52 0 612
2015 115 358 3 70 2 2 48 0 598
2016 129 340 3 40 3 2 44 0 561
2017 115 325 5 39 3 1 45 0 533
2018 101 325 3 59 3 1 29 0 521
2019 98 330 2 51 2 2 31 0 516
2020 80 330 5 66 2 3 35 0 521
2021 79 284 6 69 0 2 26 0 466
2022 85 290 9 68 0 1 35 0 488
2023 92 298 7 74 1 1 33 0 506

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Willard Elementary

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 67 13.0 5.1 n/a
1990 28 6.0 4.6 n/a
1991 570 35.3 16.1 n/a
1992 584 36.0 16.2 n/a
1993 613 39.0 15.7 n/a
1994 565 30.8 n/a n/a
1995 599 n/a 0.0 48.2
1996 599 n/a 0.0 48.2
1997 558 n/a 0.0 50.4
1998 550 n/a 0.0 51.1
1999 566 37.0 15.3 57.4
2000 578 n/a 0.0 72
2001 600 44.0 13.6 50.2
2002 635 53.0 12.0 54.2
2003 635 53.0 12.0 54.2
2004 629 48.0 13.1 53.7
2005 589 49.0 12.0 55
2006 554 46.0 12.0 51.3
2007 558 44.6 12.5 62
2008 517 36.0 14.4 62.4
2009 477 33.0 14.5 66.7
2010 459 31.0 14.8 71.3
2011 496 28.0 17.7 63.7
2012 654 38.5 16.9 66.4
2013 636 40.6 15.6 71.7
2014 612 35.5 17.2 66.2
2015 598 43.0 13.9 65.4
2016 561 42.0 13.3 99.5
2017 533 37.9 14.0 99.4
2018 521 36.0 14.4 99.4
2019 516 36.7 14.0 99.4
2020 521 37.1 14.0 98.3
2021 466 35.2 13.2 n/a
2022 488 36.7 13.2 99.4
2023 506 37.0 13.6 97.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Willard Elementary

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 67 13.0 5.1 n/a
1990 28 6.0 4.6 n/a
1991 570 35.3 16.1 n/a
1992 584 36.0 16.2 n/a
1993 613 39.0 15.7 n/a
1994 565 30.8 n/a n/a
1995 599 n/a 0.0 48.2
1996 599 n/a 0.0 48.2
1997 558 n/a 0.0 50.4
1998 550 n/a 0.0 51.1
1999 566 37.0 15.3 57.4
2000 578 n/a 0.0 72
2001 600 44.0 13.6 50.2
2002 635 53.0 12.0 54.2
2003 635 53.0 12.0 54.2
2004 629 48.0 13.1 53.7
2005 589 49.0 12.0 55
2006 554 46.0 12.0 51.3
2007 558 44.6 12.5 62
2008 517 36.0 14.4 62.4
2009 477 33.0 14.5 66.7
2010 459 31.0 14.8 71.3
2011 496 28.0 17.7 63.7
2012 654 38.5 16.9 66.4
2013 636 40.6 15.6 71.7
2014 612 35.5 17.2 66.2
2015 598 43.0 13.9 65.4
2016 561 42.0 13.3 99.5
2017 533 37.9 14.0 99.4
2018 521 36.0 14.4 99.4
2019 516 36.7 14.0 99.4
2020 521 37.1 14.0 98.3
2021 466 35.2 13.2 n/a
2022 488 36.7 13.2 99.4
2023 506 37.0 13.6 97.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Willard Elementary

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $839 (10.8%) $6,910 (89.2%) $7,749
2020 $671 (8.7%) $7,061 (91.3%) $7,731
2021 $703 (8.3%) $7,717 (91.7%) $8,420

Data source: Virginia Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Willard Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 688th of 1105 Elementary schoolsRanks 696th of 1114 Elementary schools
 0.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Willard Elementary)8173.6
 7.4%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Norfolk City Public Schools)7555.3
 19.7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8269.1
 12.9%
3rd Grade English Reading (Willard Elementary)6858.5
 9.5%
   3rd Grade English Reading (Norfolk City Public Schools)6357.8
 5.2%
   3rd Grade English Reading (Virginia)7166.1
 4.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Willard Elementary)8458.4
 25.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Norfolk City Public Schools)7555.6
 19.4%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8369.7
 13.3%
4th Grade English Reading (Willard Elementary)7464.5
 9.5%
   4th Grade English Reading (Norfolk City Public Schools)6762.4
 4.6%
   4th Grade English Reading (Virginia)7572.7
 2.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Willard Elementary)8463.8
 20.2%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Norfolk City Public Schools)6949.6
 19.4%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8167
 14%
5th Grade Science (Willard Elementary)7165.5
 5.5%
   5th Grade Science (Norfolk City Public Schools)6651
 15%
   5th Grade Science (Virginia)7966
 13%
5th Grade English Reading (Willard Elementary)7669
 7%
   5th Grade English Reading (Norfolk City Public Schools)6560.1
 4.9%
   5th Grade English Reading (Virginia)7871.4
 6.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students516506
 1.9%
African American330298
 9.7%
American Indian21
 50%
Asian27
 250%
Hispanic5174
 45.1%
Pacific Islander21
 50%
White9892
 6.1%
Two or More Races3133
 6.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients99.4%97.8%
 1.6%


Schools Near Willard Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Willard Elementary

Willard Elementary ranks 636th of 1114 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Willard Elementary are 59% African American, 18% White, 15% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

In the 2022-23 school year, 506 students attended Willard Elementary.

Students who attend Willard Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Norview Middle
High : Matthew Fontaine Maury High


Rate Willard Elementary!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Willard Elementary!




SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 39 milliseconds.