Florence Bowser Elementary

Q: Is Florence Bowser Elementary a good school?

Florence Bowser Elementary ranks 433 rd of 1114 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Florence Bowser Elementary is a public elementary school in Suffolk, Virginia, serving 831 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Suffolk City Public Schools district, which is ranked 66 out of 130 districts in the state.

Florence Bowser Elementary stands out for its diverse student population, with a higher percentage of White (40.79%) and Hispanic (11.91%) students compared to nearby schools like Mack Benn Junior Elementary and Southwestern Elementary. The school consistently outperforms the district and state averages in standardized test scores, particularly in Mathematics, where 4th-grade students achieved an 85% proficiency rate, significantly higher than the district (71.67%) and state (71.16%) averages. Additionally, Florence Bowser Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 15.4 to 17.3, which may contribute to its strong academic performance.

While the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 41.49% in 2021-2022 to 64.38% in 2022-2023, it has maintained its consistent academic performance, ranking in the top 40% of Virginia elementary schools for the past several years. This suggests that the school is effectively addressing the socioeconomic challenges faced by its diverse student population and supporting their learning and achievement.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

4540 Nansemond Pkwy
Suffolk, VA 23435

(757) 923-4106

District: Suffolk City Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
433^rd of 1,114 Virginia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,772

Students who attend Florence Bowser Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	John Yeates Middle
High:	Nansemond River High

Student/teacher ratio: 17.3

Number of students: 831

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.8%

African American:

36.3%

Hispanic:

11.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 64.4%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Florence Bowser Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Florence Bowser Elementary ranks better than 61.1% of elementary schools in Virginia. It also ranks 3^rd among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Suffolk City Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 64.41. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Florence Bowser Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Suffolk City Public Schools District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Florence Bowser Elementary is $6,772. 9 elementary schools in the Suffolk City Public Schools District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Florence Bowser Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Florence Bowser Elementary 433^rd of 1114 Virginia public elementary schools. (See Florence Bowser Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Suffolk City Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Suffolk City Public Schools 66^th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Florence Bowser Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile
2005	42.27	692^nd	1062	34.8%
2006	32.51	868^th	1071	19.0%
2007	57.32	483^rd	1083	55.4%
2008	57.73	482^nd	1081	55.4%
2009	59.03	445^th	1082	58.9%
2010	60.36	442^nd	1113	60.3%
2011	62.59	400^th	1117	64.2%
2012	64.77	362^nd	1117	67.6%
2013	58.09	470^th	1120	58.0%
2014	58.93	458^th	1110	58.7%
2015	48.49	652^nd	1100	40.7%
2016	52.98	574^th	1096	47.6%
2017	70.31	303^rd	1099	72.4%
2018	73.71	248^th	1097	77.4%
2021	62.62	428^th	1103	61.2%
2022	63.55	426^th	1109	61.6%
2023	65.66	404^th	1114	63.7%
2024	64.41	433^rd	1114	61.1%

See the entire list of Virginia Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	57.81	122^nd	245	50.2%
2024	60.12	106^th	247	57.1%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	58.49	438^th	1036	57.7%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	65.05	387^th	1100	64.8%
2024	62.25	439^th	1098	60.0%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	53.37	205^th	355	42.3%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	61.84	72^nd	182	60.4%
2024	39.78	134^th	195	31.3%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	63.19	403^rd	1093	63.1%
2024	63.57	423^rd	1101	61.6%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	67.84	170^th	579	70.6%
2024	67.91	176^th	588	70.1%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	68.86	164^th	564	70.9%
2024	61.65	223^rd	580	61.6%

See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	70.77	249^th	984	74.7%
2024	63.15	376^th	979	61.6%

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.

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Florence Bowser Elementary

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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	664	664
1990	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	682	682
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	558	558
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	572	572
1993	214	325	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	541
1994	219	359	0	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	583
1995	196	375	7	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	584
1996	196	375	7	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	584
1997	182	395	5	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	589
1998	147	330	4	5	2	n/a	n/a	0	488
1999	160	347	5	2	2	n/a	n/a	0	516
2000	172	238	4	2	1	n/a	n/a	-4	413
2001	206	261	4	3	3	n/a	n/a	0	477
2002	224	270	1	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	502
2003	224	270	1	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	502
2004	237	296	5	11	0	n/a	n/a	3	552
2005	256	301	8	15	0	n/a	n/a	7	587
2006	260	286	9	16	0	n/a	n/a	6	577
2007	211	138	6	10	1	n/a	n/a	4	370
2008	218	131	7	8	2	n/a	n/a	2	368
2009	182	140	4	7	1	n/a	n/a	10	344
2010	196	156	8	9	1	n/a	n/a	9	379
2011	190	148	6	13	1	0	15	0	373
2012	171	149	2	15	1	0	14	0	352
2013	185	123	4	16	0	0	18	0	346
2014	173	131	4	11	0	0	10	0	329
2015	171	133	6	15	0	0	14	0	339
2016	161	104	7	15	0	0	19	0	306
2017	279	212	16	23	0	2	37	0	569
2018	285	223	16	23	0	3	47	0	597
2020	363	302	22	66	0	3	65	0	821
2021	297	283	16	55	0	3	55	0	709
2022	312	301	15	71	0	2	63	0	764
2023	339	302	15	99	0	1	75	0	831

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 Florence Bowser Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	664	41.2	16.1	n/a
1990	682	40.0	17.0	n/a
1991	558	28.8	19.3	n/a
1992	572	29.3	19.5	n/a
1993	541	30.8	17.6	n/a
1994	583	24.2	n/a	50.1
1995	584	n/a	0.0	53.6
1996	584	n/a	0.0	53.6
1997	589	n/a	0.0	52.6
1998	488	n/a	0.0	52.5
1999	516	32.6	15.8	62
2000	413	n/a	0.0	56.8
2001	477	29.0	16.4	50.7
2002	502	33.0	15.2	40.6
2003	502	33.0	15.2	40.6
2004	552	32.0	17.3	37.7
2005	587	31.0	18.9	36.7
2006	577	33.0	17.5	37.3
2007	370	27.3	13.6	25.4
2008	368	19.0	19.4	24.6
2009	344	19.0	18.1	30.8
2010	379	19.0	19.9	32.4
2011	373	19.0	19.6	28.4
2012	352	18.5	19.0	29.8
2013	346	18.0	19.2	29.5
2014	329	17.6	18.6	34
2015	339	18.0	18.8	29.5
2016	306	18.0	17.0	30.1
2017	569	35.0	16.2	35
2018	597	36.0	16.5	34.2
2020	821	45.5	18.0	n/a
2021	709	46.0	15.4	n/a
2022	764	47.0	16.2	41.5
2023	831	48.0	17.3	64.4

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 Florence Bowser Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	664	41.2	16.1	n/a
1990	682	40.0	17.0	n/a
1991	558	28.8	19.3	n/a
1992	572	29.3	19.5	n/a
1993	541	30.8	17.6	n/a
1994	583	24.2	n/a	50.1
1995	584	n/a	0.0	53.6
1996	584	n/a	0.0	53.6
1997	589	n/a	0.0	52.6
1998	488	n/a	0.0	52.5
1999	516	32.6	15.8	62
2000	413	n/a	0.0	56.8
2001	477	29.0	16.4	50.7
2002	502	33.0	15.2	40.6
2003	502	33.0	15.2	40.6
2004	552	32.0	17.3	37.7
2005	587	31.0	18.9	36.7
2006	577	33.0	17.5	37.3
2007	370	27.3	13.6	25.4
2008	368	19.0	19.4	24.6
2009	344	19.0	18.1	30.8
2010	379	19.0	19.9	32.4
2011	373	19.0	19.6	28.4
2012	352	18.5	19.0	29.8
2013	346	18.0	19.2	29.5
2014	329	17.6	18.6	34
2015	339	18.0	18.8	29.5
2016	306	18.0	17.0	30.1
2017	569	35.0	16.2	35
2018	597	36.0	16.5	34.2
2020	821	45.5	18.0	n/a
2021	709	46.0	15.4	n/a
2022	764	47.0	16.2	41.5
2023	831	48.0	17.3	64.4

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 Florence Bowser Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$560 (10.7%)	$4,685 (89.3%)	$5,245
2020	$537 (10.5%)	$4,559 (89.5%)	$5,096
2021	$741 (10.9%)	$6,031 (89.1%)	$6,772

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

Schools Near Florence Bowser Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SOL Mathematics (2024)			SOL Science (2024)	SOL English Reading (2024)			SOL VA Studies (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Florence Bowser Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4540 Nansemond Pkwy	Suffolk	23435	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 923-4106	831	48	17.3	64.4%	339 (40.8%)	302 (36.3%)	99 (11.9%)	15 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	75 (9.0%)	64.4	433^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	61.1%		65.7	404^th of 1114 public elementary schools	63.7%	29	80.5	85.0	75.2	64.6	70.3	80.9	71.5	77.1		$6,772	$741	$6,031
Creekside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Bennetts Creek Park Road	Suffolk	23435	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 923-4251	752	46	16.3	64.8%	176 (23.4%)	408 (54.3%)	90 (12.0%)	14 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (8.5%)	57.8	512^th of 1114 public elementary schools	54.0%		54.9	553^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	50.4%	41	78.0	72.2	69.6	70.4	69.5	76.9	71.3	72.0		$7,317	$581	$6,736
Nansemond Parkway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3012 Nansemond Pkwy	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 923-4167	457	33	13.8	64.8%	141 (30.9%)	241 (52.7%)	26 (5.7%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.3%)	60.2	487^th of 1114 public elementary schools	56.3%		42.5	697^th of 1114 public elementary schools	37.4%	210	62.3	74.6	66.1	78.6	72.1	83.1	76.8	74.6		$10,723	$1,141	$9,582
Edwin W. Chittum Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2008 Dock Landing Rd	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 465-6300	805	49	16.5	18.9%	508 (63.1%)	128 (15.9%)	67 (8.3%)	14 (1.7%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	80 (9.9%)	80.6	211^th of 1114 public elementary schools	81.1%		82.4	166^th of 1114 public elementary schools	85.1%	45	91.1	86.0	77.5	78.2	83.6	84.0	81.7		89.1	$9,858	$788	$9,070
Western Branch Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	4122 Terry Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7951	813	49	16.7	40.6%	329 (40.5%)	265 (32.6%)	91 (11.2%)	31 (3.8%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.7%)	90 (11.1%)								(n/a)										$9,619	$451	$9,168
Hillpoint Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1101 Hillpoint Rd	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 925-6750	737	46	16.0	64.9%	164 (22.3%)	426 (57.8%)	58 (7.9%)	11 (1.5%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	74 (10.0%)	32.6	805^th of 1114 public elementary schools	27.7%		32.2	824^th of 1114 public elementary schools	26.0%	19	62.6	63.4	56.5	58.3	55.6	67.9	61.1	67.0		$7,945	$794	$7,151
Southwestern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4410 Airline Blvd	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 465-6310	544	42	13.1	90.8%	77 (14.2%)	360 (66.2%)	63 (11.6%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (7.0%)	57.6	515^th of 1114 public elementary schools	53.8%		51.4	598^th of 1114 public elementary schools	46.3%	83	79.1	73.8	77.3	66.0	66.3	63.8	76.3		76.6	$11,901	$1,306	$10,595
Western Branch Intermediate	Public	3-5	4013 Terry Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7941	748	44	17.0	45.5%	291 (38.9%)	256 (34.2%)	90 (12.0%)	31 (4.1%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	75 (10.0%)	59.3	497^th of 1114 public elementary schools	55.4%		59.3	490^th of 1114 public elementary schools	56.0%	7	73.9	70.5	72.6	70.0	71.6	76.0	72.9		76.9	$8,608	$440	$8,168
Mack Benn Junior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1253 Nansemond Pkwy	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 934-6224	684	49	13.9	65.5%	94 (13.7%)	494 (72.2%)	63 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.7%)	29.3	850^th of 1114 public elementary schools	23.7%		25.8	881^st of 1114 public elementary schools	20.9%	31	69.9	73.8	46.1	43.7	56.1	70.2	50.6	54.2		$8,463	$1,216	$7,248
Oakland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5505 Godwin Blvd	Suffolk	23434	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 923-5248	469	31	15.1	64.2%	149 (31.8%)	243 (51.8%)	40 (8.5%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.6%)	84.1	136^th of 1114 public elementary schools	87.8%		71.9	318^th of 1114 public elementary schools	71.5%	182	89.9	93.0	83.3	76.9	83.8	90.1	82.1	95.7		$9,027	$833	$8,193

Frequently Asked Questions about Florence Bowser Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Florence Bowser Elementary?

Students at Florence Bowser Elementary are 41% White, 36% African American, 12% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Florence Bowser Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 831 students attended Florence Bowser Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Florence Bowser Elementary attend?

Students who attend Florence Bowser Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : John Yeates Middle
High : Nansemond River High

Is Florence Bowser Elementary a good school?

Florence Bowser Elementary ranks 433^rd of 1114 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Florence Bowser Elementary in?

Suffolk City Public Schools

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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.