Natural Bridge Elementary

Summary:

Natural Bridge Elementary is a public elementary school located in Natural Bridge Station, Virginia, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 221. The school is part of the Rockbridge County Public Schools district, which is ranked 84 out of 130 districts in Virginia and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Natural Bridge Elementary has a higher percentage of white students (76.02%) and students of two or more races (13.57%) compared to surrounding schools, the school consistently ranks in the bottom half of Virginia elementary schools, with a 1-2 star rating from SchoolDigger. Student performance on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests is generally lower than the district and state averages, with 3rd grade math proficiency at 60.71% compared to the district's 73.38% and the state's 70.11%. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 67.87% to 76.71%, significantly higher than the 29% to 71.67% range of nearby schools like Mountain View Elementary, Central Elementary, and Otter River Elementary.

Despite the challenges faced by Natural Bridge Elementary, the school's small size and relatively low student-teacher ratio (9:1 in 2022-2023) could present opportunities for more personalized instruction and targeted interventions to improve student outcomes. However, addressing the school's declining performance, high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and lower academic achievement compared to the surrounding schools will likely require a multi-faceted approach, including increased resources and support for students and families, as well as a focus on improving the overall educational environment and outcomes at the school.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 42 Natural Bridge School Rd.
       Natural Bridge Station, VA  24479


(540) 291-2292

District: Rockbridge County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
818th of 1,114 Virginia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,622 Help


Students who attend Natural Bridge Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Maury River Middle
High:    Rockbridge County High

Student/teacher ratio:  9.0 Help
Number of students:  221

Racial breakdown:

White:
76.0%
Two or more races:
13.6%
Hispanic:
6.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  67.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Natural Bridge Elementary ranks worse than 73.4% of elementary schools in Virginia. It also ranks last among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Rockbridge County Public Schools District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.38. (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 Natural Bridge Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Rockbridge County Public Schools District.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Natural Bridge Elementary is $10,622, which is the 2nd highest among 4 elementary schools in the Rockbridge County Public Schools District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Natural Bridge Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Natural Bridge Elementary 818th of 1114 Virginia public elementary schools. (See Natural Bridge Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


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


Rockbridge County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Rockbridge County Public Schools 84th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Natural Bridge Elementary?

Rank History for Natural Bridge Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Natural Bridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 39.40 749th 1062 29.5%
2006 44.45 704th 1071 34.3%
2007 26.59 939th 1083 13.3%
2008 15.95 1033rd 1081 4.4%
2009 17.73 1022nd 1082 5.5%
2010 7.01 1095th 1113 1.6%
2011 22.32 1023rd 1117 8.4%
2012 35.31 863rd 1117 22.7%
2013 32.45 851st 1120 24.0%
2014 19.46 1013th 1110 8.7%
2015 28.65 887th 1100 19.4%
2016 34.98 832nd 1096 24.1%
2017 56.74 517th 1099 53.0%
2018 51.81 600th 1097 45.3%
2019 70.95 309th 1105 72.0%
2021 44.25 666th 1103 39.6%
2022 42.09 703rd 1109 36.6%
2023 32.52 815th 1114 26.8%
2024 31.38 818th 1114 26.6%
See the entire list of Virginia Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Natural Bridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 31.08 781st 1036 24.6%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Natural Bridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 29.74 847th 1100 23.0%
2024 23.23 905th 1098 17.6%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Natural Bridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 48.26 615th 1093 43.7%
2024 48.61 618th 1101 43.9%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Natural Bridge Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 13.13 919th 984 6.6%
2024 12.81 918th 979 6.2%
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.

Natural Bridge 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
Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Open Quote My granddaughter attends this school. I am very pleased with the teachers and staff. They seem to care about each and every student. Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, September 16, 2016

Open Quote I've been very happy with this school. This area is high poverty and I know that affects student performance, but the staff is very kind. They go above and beyond to provide additional resources - low to no cost - for the students. The physical building was also refurnished not too long ago. The school building is bright and welcoming. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Natural Bridge 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 348 348
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 360 360
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 380 380
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 388 388
1993 336 28 2 0 0 n/a n/a 0 366
1994 324 32 2 0 0 n/a n/a 0 358
1995 323 29 1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 353
1996 323 29 1 0 0 n/a n/a 0 353
1997 323 31 0 0 0 n/a n/a 0 354
1998 319 27 1 0 2 n/a n/a 0 349
1999 306 26 2 0 2 n/a n/a 0 336
2000 319 22 2 0 2 n/a n/a -4 341
2001 311 18 1 0 2 n/a n/a 0 332
2002 283 14 2 0 3 n/a n/a 0 302
2003 283 14 2 0 3 n/a n/a 0 302
2004 245 12 3 1 4 n/a n/a 0 265
2005 232 16 0 0 4 n/a n/a 0 252
2006 236 20 0 1 3 n/a n/a 0 260
2007 245 16 0 1 3 n/a n/a 0 265
2008 224 19 0 6 1 n/a n/a 0 250
2009 244 19 0 10 3 n/a n/a 1 277
2010 234 24 0 10 1 n/a n/a 1 270
2011 221 19 1 14 4 0 13 0 272
2012 228 18 1 9 1 0 15 0 272
2013 235 13 1 9 1 0 16 0 275
2014 267 15 1 12 1 0 20 0 316
2015 244 19 1 17 1 0 15 0 297
2016 234 11 1 13 1 0 15 0 275
2017 233 13 0 12 0 0 16 0 274
2018 229 13 0 13 0 0 22 0 277
2019 214 9 0 16 0 0 18 0 257
2020 196 9 0 13 0 0 26 0 244
2021 185 10 0 14 0 0 25 0 234
2022 172 11 0 14 0 0 22 0 219
2023 168 7 0 15 1 0 30 0 221

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 Natural Bridge Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 348 21.4 16.2 n/a
1990 360 23.6 15.2 n/a
1991 380 24.6 15.4 n/a
1992 388 25.1 15.4 n/a
1993 366 26.3 13.9 n/a
1994 358 23.7 n/a n/a
1995 353 n/a 0.0 33.7
1996 353 n/a 0.0 33.7
1997 354 n/a 0.0 32.5
1998 349 n/a 0.0 31.5
1999 336 31.0 10.8 42
2000 341 n/a 0.0 42.6
2001 332 32.5 10.2 37.7
2002 302 33.0 9.2 40.4
2003 302 33.0 9.2 40.4
2004 265 26.0 10.2 41.9
2005 252 24.0 10.5 46.8
2006 260 26.0 10.0 47.7
2007 265 28.0 9.5 51.7
2008 250 19.0 13.2 60.8
2009 277 19.0 14.6 62
2010 270 20.0 13.5 63.9
2011 272 19.0 14.3 65.4
2012 272 24.0 11.3 64
2013 275 24.0 11.4 61.8
2014 316 25.0 12.6 65.8
2015 297 26.0 11.4 64
2016 275 24.0 11.4 61.5
2017 274 23.0 11.9 61.3
2018 277 24.0 11.5 63.2
2019 257 23.0 11.1 64.2
2020 244 23.0 10.6 68.9
2021 234 21.0 11.1 n/a
2022 219 20.5 10.6 76.7
2023 221 24.5 9.0 67.9

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 Natural Bridge Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 348 21.4 16.2 n/a
1990 360 23.6 15.2 n/a
1991 380 24.6 15.4 n/a
1992 388 25.1 15.4 n/a
1993 366 26.3 13.9 n/a
1994 358 23.7 n/a n/a
1995 353 n/a 0.0 33.7
1996 353 n/a 0.0 33.7
1997 354 n/a 0.0 32.5
1998 349 n/a 0.0 31.5
1999 336 31.0 10.8 42
2000 341 n/a 0.0 42.6
2001 332 32.5 10.2 37.7
2002 302 33.0 9.2 40.4
2003 302 33.0 9.2 40.4
2004 265 26.0 10.2 41.9
2005 252 24.0 10.5 46.8
2006 260 26.0 10.0 47.7
2007 265 28.0 9.5 51.7
2008 250 19.0 13.2 60.8
2009 277 19.0 14.6 62
2010 270 20.0 13.5 63.9
2011 272 19.0 14.3 65.4
2012 272 24.0 11.3 64
2013 275 24.0 11.4 61.8
2014 316 25.0 12.6 65.8
2015 297 26.0 11.4 64
2016 275 24.0 11.4 61.5
2017 274 23.0 11.9 61.3
2018 277 24.0 11.5 63.2
2019 257 23.0 11.1 64.2
2020 244 23.0 10.6 68.9
2021 234 21.0 11.1 n/a
2022 219 20.5 10.6 76.7
2023 221 24.5 9.0 67.9

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 Natural Bridge Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,623 (13.9%) $10,089 (86.1%) $11,712
2020 $1,680 (15.8%) $8,931 (84.2%) $10,611
2021 $1,666 (15.7%) $8,956 (84.3%) $10,622

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Natural Bridge 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 309th of 1105 Elementary schoolsRanks 815th of 1114 Elementary schools
 45.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Mathematics (Natural Bridge Elementary)7863.6
 14.4%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Rockbridge County Public Schools)8058.4
 21.6%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8269.1
 12.9%
3rd Grade English Reading (Natural Bridge Elementary)6742.4
 24.6%
   3rd Grade English Reading (Rockbridge County Public Schools)7355
 18%
   3rd Grade English Reading (Virginia)7166.1
 4.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Natural Bridge Elementary)9455
 39%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Rockbridge County Public Schools)9171.4
 19.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8369.7
 13.3%
4th Grade English Reading (Natural Bridge Elementary)8167.5
 13.5%
   4th Grade English Reading (Rockbridge County Public Schools)8070.3
 9.7%
   4th Grade English Reading (Virginia)7572.7
 2.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Natural Bridge Elementary)10038.2
 61.8%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Rockbridge County Public Schools)9364.1
 29%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Virginia)8167
 14%
5th Grade Science (Natural Bridge Elementary)9258.8
 33.2%
   5th Grade Science (Rockbridge County Public Schools)8867.3
 20.7%
   5th Grade Science (Virginia)7966
 13%
5th Grade English Reading (Natural Bridge Elementary)9470.6
 23.4%
   5th Grade English Reading (Rockbridge County Public Schools)8675.2
 10.8%
   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 Students257221
 14%
African American97
 22.2%
American Indian01
Asian00
Hispanic1615
 6.3%
Pacific Islander00
White214168
 21.5%
Two or More Races1830
 66.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients64.2%67.9%
 3.7%


Schools Near Natural Bridge Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Bridge Elementary

Students at Natural Bridge Elementary are 76% White, 14% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 3% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 221 students attended Natural Bridge Elementary.

Students who attend Natural Bridge Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Maury River Middle
High : Rockbridge County High

Natural Bridge Elementary ranks 818th of 1114 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.


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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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