L.F. Palmer Elementary School, Newport News, VA

L.F. Palmer Elementary School phone & hours

Phone: (757) 881-5000
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Principal: Dr. Melody Camm
Address: 100 Palmer Ln, Newport News, VA 23602

Score breakdown

Compared against all 1,074 Virginia public elementary schools. 1–4 is below the state average, 5–6 around it, 7–10 above it.

4.0 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 67.0% across all subjects — 33th percentile statewide.

3.6 · Academic progress

76% of students showed growth in reading and 76% in math — 29th percentile.

1.8 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 16.5% — better attendance than 9% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 3.5 for 2025–26, compared with 3.0 for 2024–25 — up 0.5.

Test scores by subject

Percent of students passing Virginia SOL tests, 2025–26.

This school Virginia average

Grade 5 Science

69%state 69%

Virginia Studies

74%state 71%

Grade 3 Mathematics

73%state 74%

Grade 4 Mathematics

59%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

69%state 72%

Grade 3 English Reading

59%state 68%

Grade 4 English Reading

63%state 74%

Grade 5 English Reading

70%state 73%

Source: Virginia Department of Education, School Quality Profiles — SOL pass rates, 2025–26.

L.F. Palmer Elementary School & its school zone

L.F. Palmer Elementary School serves Newport News, VA 23602 students as a public elementary school in Newport News Public Schools. Buyers searching homes for sale near L.F. Palmer Elementary School are shopping this Newport News school zone, one of the areas families compare when weighing Newport News elementary school zones. On the VaHome School Score the school earns 3.5/10 — below the state average among Virginia's 1,074 public elementary schools, based on Virginia Department of Education data for 2025–26. That is up from 3.0 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 67.0%. On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 76% of students showed growth in English reading and 76% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 16.5%, compared with the 9.0% state median for elementary schools.

For house hunters comparing Newport News school zones, the listings on this page show active REIN MLS homes near L.F. Palmer Elementary School. School zoning and attendance boundaries can change between school years — always verify a specific address's assignment directly with Newport News Public Schools before making a housing decision based on school zone.

How the VaHome School Score works

Test scores (50%): the school's SOL pass rate across all subjects, ranked against every Virginia public school of the same level.
Academic progress (30%): Virginia's growth rates — the share of students who showed year-over-year growth in English reading and in math — ranked statewide.
Attendance (20%): chronic absenteeism, ranked statewide (lower is better).
What changed for 2025–26: Virginia retired the accreditation “combined rate” we used for academic progress in 2024–25, so progress now uses the state's student growth rates. Virginia publishes no growth measure for high schools, so their 20% now goes to attendance. The year-over-year comparison at the top uses the score we published for 2024–25; part of a school's change can come from this method update.
The weighted statewide percentile maps to a score from 1.0 to 10.0: score = 1 + 9 × percentile. 1–4 is below the state average, 5–6 around it, 7–10 above it.
Every input is public data from the Virginia Department of Education, refreshed each school year. No opinions, no black box — you can check our math.

Data: Virginia Department of Education School Quality Profiles (2025–26) · NCES. VaHome is not affiliated with VDOE, NCES, or GreatSchools.

At a glance

School district: Newport News City Public Schools
Grades served: PK-5
School type: Public elementary (regular school, non-charter)
Established: 1971
Enrollment: 451 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 18:1
Classroom teachers: 26 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510264001060

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

64%

Mathematics

67%

Science

69%

History & Social Sci.

74%

Attendance

2025-2026

16.5% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About L.F. Palmer Elementary School

L.F. Palmer Elementary School is a public PK-5 school in the Newport News City Public Schools division, located at 100 Palmer Lane in the Denbigh area of Newport News, Virginia. The school was named in 1971 for Lutrelle Fleming Palmer (1888-1950), a nationally prominent educator who served as principal of Huntington High School from 1920 to 1943, taught at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), and was a pioneer in the effort to equalize teacher salaries.

The school is classified by the U.S. Department of Education as being in a midsize city locale and serves a diverse student body. As of the 2024-2025 school year it enrolled 465 students and held Fully Accredited status from the Virginia Department of Education for 2025-2026.

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data - L.F. Palmer Elementary ↗ — NCES ID, state ID, address, phone, grades, school type, locale, 2024-25 enrollment (465), FTE teachers (26.0), student/teacher ratio (17.88), racial/ethnic counts, free/reduced lunch counts2024-2025
Virginia School Quality Profiles - L.F. Palmer Elementary ↗ — 2025-26 Fully Accredited status, 2024-25 SOL pass rates (Reading 57, Math 59, Science 61, History 54), demographics, economically disadvantaged, English learners, students with disabilities, chronic absenteeism, principal, fall membership (enrollment)SOL, attendance & enrollment 2025-2026; accreditation SY2025-2026
Palmer Elementary School official website ↗ — Principal (Dr. Melody Camm), phone, office hours (8:30am-4:45pm)2026
Newport News Public Schools - School Namesakes & History ↗ — Named 1971 for Lutrelle Fleming Palmer (1888-1950); biographical historycurrent

Figures reflect the 2025-2026 (Virginia DOE SOL, attendance, enrollment); 2024-2025 (NCES staffing); accreditation SY2025-2026 unless noted. School zoning, boundaries, and ratings change — verify with the school division before making housing decisions.

L.F. Palmer Elementary School