Simonsdale Elementary

Summary:

Simonsdale Elementary is a public elementary school in Portsmouth, Virginia, serving 612 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Portsmouth City Public Schools district, which is ranked 115 out of 130 school districts in the state.

Simonsdale Elementary has a diverse student population, with a higher percentage of White (45.59%) and African American (37.91%) students compared to nearby schools. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by SOL (Standards of Learning) test scores, is generally lower than the state and district averages, though higher than some of the nearby schools like Edwin W. Chittum Elementary and Western Branch Intermediate. Simonsdale Elementary's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, but it has consistently been in the bottom half of Virginia elementary schools.

Simonsdale Elementary faces several challenges, including a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 63.48% to 100.33% over the past few years. The school's enrollment has also decreased from 612 students in the 2022-2023 school year to 612 students in the 2023-2024 school year, a potential sign of declining interest or population changes in the area. Despite these challenges, Simonsdale Elementary's diverse student population and increased funding present opportunities for improvement, and the school may be able to learn from the practices of higher-performing nearby schools to better support its students.


Detail:

Public K-6

 4841 Clifford Street
       Portsmouth, VA  23701-1004


(757) 465-2917

District: Portsmouth City Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
819th of 1,114 Virginia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,398 Help


Students who attend Simonsdale Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    William E. Waters Middle
High:    Manor High

Student/teacher ratio:  12.4 Help
Number of students:  609

Racial breakdown:

White:
44.7%
African American:
37.1%
Two or more races:
10.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  101% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Simonsdale Elementary ranks worse than 73.5% of elementary schools in Virginia. It also ranks 4th among 13 ranked elementary schools in the Portsmouth City Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.3. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a 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
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (44.7%), African American (37.1%), two or more races (10%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 101% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Simonsdale Elementary is 12.4, which is the 3rd best among 13 elementary schools in the Portsmouth City Public Schools District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Simonsdale Elementary employs 49 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Simonsdale Elementary is $9,398, which is the 4th highest among 13 elementary schools in the Portsmouth City Public Schools District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Simonsdale Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Simonsdale Elementary 819th of 1114 Virginia public elementary schools. (See Simonsdale Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
White students:


Portsmouth City Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Portsmouth City Public Schools 115th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Simonsdale Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Simonsdale Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 67.12 314th 1062 70.4%
2006 64.17 367th 1071 65.7%
2007 52.10 566th 1083 47.7%
2008 49.33 630th 1081 41.7%
2009 59.85 430th 1082 60.3%
2010 45.85 719th 1113 35.4%
2011 59.91 450th 1117 59.7%
2012 47.17 670th 1117 40.0%
2013 44.22 696th 1120 37.9%
2014 43.57 696th 1110 37.3%
2015 46.93 681st 1100 38.1%
2016 43.75 720th 1096 34.3%
2017 48.83 635th 1099 42.2%
2018 51.87 598th 1097 45.5%
2019 47.79 667th 1105 39.6%
2021 23.39 870th 1103 21.1%
2022 36.02 774th 1109 30.2%
2023 42.30 699th 1114 37.3%
2024 31.30 819th 1114 26.5%
See the entire list of Virginia Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Simonsdale Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 37.36 703rd 1036 32.1%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Simonsdale Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 37.14 768th 1100 30.2%
2024 44.82 673rd 1098 38.7%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Simonsdale Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 46.82 628th 1093 42.5%
2024 23.18 910th 1101 17.3%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Simonsdale Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 49.58 327th 579 43.5%
2024 30.14 468th 588 20.4%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Simonsdale Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 27.37 806th 984 18.1%
2024 24.73 815th 979 16.8%
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.

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






Data source: Virginia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Simonsdale Elementary

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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 456 456
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 455 455
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 415 415
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 425 425
1993 233 196 4 4 1 n/a n/a 0 438
1994 221 215 4 5 3 n/a n/a 0 448
1995 278 61 2 5 0 n/a n/a 0 346
1996 278 61 2 5 0 n/a n/a 0 346
1997 286 67 3 4 2 n/a n/a 0 362
1998 285 64 7 5 2 n/a n/a 0 363
1999 280 72 9 6 0 n/a n/a 0 367
2000 302 60 6 5 0 n/a n/a -4 369
2001 302 61 3 4 0 n/a n/a 0 370
2002 301 56 0 10 0 n/a n/a 0 367
2003 301 56 0 10 0 n/a n/a 0 367
2004 289 65 6 6 0 n/a n/a 0 366
2005 271 71 4 11 0 n/a n/a 0 357
2006 359 86 3 15 0 n/a n/a 0 463
2007 372 73 9 14 0 n/a n/a 0 468
2008 370 54 8 12 1 n/a n/a 0 445
2009 305 43 4 9 1 n/a n/a 0 362
2010 314 46 5 11 0 n/a n/a 0 376
2011 292 26 5 20 1 0 16 0 360
2012 460 186 10 35 4 0 38 0 733
2013 447 223 10 39 2 0 36 0 757
2014 438 215 8 41 2 0 27 0 731
2015 438 218 7 28 0 1 25 0 717
2016 432 217 6 24 0 1 22 0 702
2017 408 214 6 19 1 1 33 0 682
2018 406 223 5 14 2 1 36 0 687
2019 364 270 7 7 1 2 35 0 686
2020 350 259 7 18 3 3 35 0 675
2021 304 247 8 19 3 4 40 0 625
2022 284 216 4 32 3 2 45 0 586
2023 279 232 1 40 2 3 55 0 612
2024 272 226 2 41 2 5 61 0 609

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 Simonsdale Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 456 19.0 24.0 n/a
1990 455 20.0 22.7 n/a
1991 415 19.0 21.8 n/a
1992 425 19.4 21.9 n/a
1993 438 23.4 18.7 n/a
1994 448 23.4 n/a 37.1
1995 346 n/a 0.0 24.6
1996 346 n/a 0.0 24.6
1997 362 n/a 0.0 25.4
1998 363 n/a 0.0 28.1
1999 367 21.0 17.5 39.5
2000 369 n/a 0.0 32.7
2001 370 23.0 16.1 32.7
2002 367 28.0 13.1 28.1
2003 367 28.0 13.1 28.1
2004 366 24.0 15.3 33.6
2005 357 23.0 15.5 28.9
2006 463 26.0 17.8 26.6
2007 468 30.0 15.6 23.3
2008 445 22.0 20.2 21.8
2009 362 20.0 18.1 29
2010 376 20.0 18.8 26.6
2011 360 20.0 18.0 24.7
2012 733 40.0 18.3 50.5
2013 757 41.0 18.4 49.8
2014 731 43.2 16.9 50.6
2015 717 40.0 17.9 49.8
2016 702 41.0 17.1 50
2017 682 45.0 15.1 47.1
2018 687 42.0 16.3 51.1
2019 686 44.0 15.5 56
2020 675 45.3 14.9 55.1
2021 625 48.1 12.9 n/a
2022 586 42.4 13.8 63.5
2023 612 42.0 14.5 100.3
2024 609 49.0 12.4 101

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 Simonsdale Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 456 19.0 24.0 n/a
1990 455 20.0 22.7 n/a
1991 415 19.0 21.8 n/a
1992 425 19.4 21.9 n/a
1993 438 23.4 18.7 n/a
1994 448 23.4 n/a 37.1
1995 346 n/a 0.0 24.6
1996 346 n/a 0.0 24.6
1997 362 n/a 0.0 25.4
1998 363 n/a 0.0 28.1
1999 367 21.0 17.5 39.5
2000 369 n/a 0.0 32.7
2001 370 23.0 16.1 32.7
2002 367 28.0 13.1 28.1
2003 367 28.0 13.1 28.1
2004 366 24.0 15.3 33.6
2005 357 23.0 15.5 28.9
2006 463 26.0 17.8 26.6
2007 468 30.0 15.6 23.3
2008 445 22.0 20.2 21.8
2009 362 20.0 18.1 29
2010 376 20.0 18.8 26.6
2011 360 20.0 18.0 24.7
2012 733 40.0 18.3 50.5
2013 757 41.0 18.4 49.8
2014 731 43.2 16.9 50.6
2015 717 40.0 17.9 49.8
2016 702 41.0 17.1 50
2017 682 45.0 15.1 47.1
2018 687 42.0 16.3 51.1
2019 686 44.0 15.5 56
2020 675 45.3 14.9 55.1
2021 625 48.1 12.9 n/a
2022 586 42.4 13.8 63.5
2023 612 42.0 14.5 100.3
2024 609 49.0 12.4 101

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 Simonsdale Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $835 (11.4%) $6,499 (88.6%) $7,334
2020 $779 (10.5%) $6,641 (89.5%) $7,419
2021 $958 (10.2%) $8,441 (89.8%) $9,398

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Simonsdale 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 667th of 1105 Elementary schoolsRanks 699th of 1114 Elementary schools
 2.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Simonsdale Elementary)8251.4
 30.6%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Portsmouth City Public Schools)7250.5
 21.5%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8269.1
 12.9%
3rd Grade English Reading (Simonsdale Elementary)7554.3
 20.7%
   3rd Grade English Reading (Portsmouth City Public Schools)6053.1
 6.9%
   3rd Grade English Reading (Virginia)7166.1
 4.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Simonsdale Elementary)8165.8
 15.2%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Portsmouth City Public Schools)7250.4
 21.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8369.7
 13.3%
4th Grade English Reading (Simonsdale Elementary)6873.4
 5.4%
   4th Grade English Reading (Portsmouth City Public Schools)6759.4
 7.6%
   4th Grade English Reading (Virginia)7572.7
 2.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Simonsdale Elementary)7865.9
 12.2%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Portsmouth City Public Schools)7045.4
 24.6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8167
 14%
5th Grade Science (Simonsdale Elementary)8172.8
 8.2%
   5th Grade Science (Portsmouth City Public Schools)7047.3
 22.7%
   5th Grade Science (Virginia)7966
 13%
5th Grade English Reading (Simonsdale Elementary)8370.7
 12.3%
   5th Grade English Reading (Portsmouth City Public Schools)6954
 15.1%
   5th Grade English Reading (Virginia)7871.4
 6.6%
6th Grade Mathematics (Simonsdale Elementary)7055.9
 14.1%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Portsmouth City Public Schools)7450.8
 23.2%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)7857.8
 20.2%
6th Grade English Reading (Simonsdale Elementary)7872
 6%
   6th Grade English Reading (Portsmouth City Public Schools)7462.5
 11.5%
   6th Grade English Reading (Virginia)7770.4
 6.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students686612
 10.8%
African American270232
 14.1%
American Indian12
 100%
Asian71
 85.7%
Hispanic740
 471.4%
Pacific Islander23
 50%
White364279
 23.4%
Two or More Races3555
 57.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients56%100.3%
 44.4%


Schools Near Simonsdale Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Simonsdale Elementary

Students at Simonsdale Elementary are 45% White, 37% African American, 10% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

Simonsdale Elementary ranks 819th of 1114 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2023-24 school year, 609 students attended Simonsdale Elementary.

Students who attend Simonsdale Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : William E. Waters Middle
High : Manor High


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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.





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