Richard T. Yates Elementary School, Newport News, VA

Richard T. Yates Elementary School phone & hours

Phone: (757) 881-5450
Hours: Office 8:30 am - 4:45 pm; student hours 9:20 am - 3:55 pm
Principal: Suzanne Ramirez
Address: 73 Maxwell Ln, Newport News, VA 23606

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.

3.6 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 64.5% across all subjects — 29th percentile statewide.

3.2 · Academic progress

75% of students showed growth in reading and 73% in math — 24th percentile.

1.5 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 19.4% — better attendance than 5% of peers statewide.

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

Test scores by subject

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

This school Virginia average

Grade 5 Science

68%state 69%

Virginia Studies

54%state 71%

Grade 3 Mathematics

72%state 74%

Grade 4 Mathematics

58%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

70%state 72%

Grade 3 English Reading

70%state 68%

Grade 4 English Reading

61%state 74%

Grade 5 English Reading

68%state 73%

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

Richard T. Yates Elementary School & its school zone

A public elementary school in Newport News Public Schools, Richard T. Yates Elementary School anchors its attendance zone in Newport News, VA 23606. Buyers searching homes for sale near Richard T. Yates 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 3.0/10 — below the state average among Virginia's 1,074 public elementary schools, based on Virginia Department of Education data for 2025–26. That matches its 2024–25 score of 3.0.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 64.5%. On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 75% of students showed growth in English reading and 73% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 19.4%, 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 Richard T. Yates 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: Regular public school (non-charter)
Enrollment: 410 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 22:1
Classroom teachers: 20 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510264001070

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

66%

Mathematics

66%

Science

68%

History & Social Sci.

54%

Attendance

2025-2026

19.4% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Richard T. Yates Elementary School

Richard T. Yates Elementary School is a public PK-5 school in the Newport News City Public Schools division, located at 73 Maxwell Lane in the central part of Newport News, Virginia, west of Warwick Boulevard. It is named for Richard Twisdell Yates (1921-1961), a Newport News lawyer who served as a prominent member of the city's School Board from 1956 to 1961.

The school enrolls roughly 448-449 students across grades PK through 5 and is part of the Newport News City Public Schools division. It sits in a midsize-city setting in the 23606 ZIP code area of the Virginia Peninsula. Its exact founding year was not documented in the sources reviewed.

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data - Richard T. Yates Elementary ↗ — NCES ID, address, phone, grades (PK-5), locale (City, Midsize), charter status, total enrollment and enrollment by grade, FTE teachers, student/teacher ratio2024-2025
Virginia School Quality Profiles - Richard T. Yates Elementary ↗ — Principal, accreditation status, SOL pass rates (reading/math/science/history), race-ethnicity and program demographics, economically disadvantaged/EL/SWD percentages, total enrollment, chronic absenteeismSOL, attendance & enrollment 2025-2026; accreditation SY2025-2026
Yates Elementary School official website ↗ — Principal, phone, office and student hours, school mission2026
Newport News Public Schools - School Namesakes & History ↗ — Namesake biography (Richard Twisdell Yates, 1921-1961) and general location descriptioncurrent

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.

Richard T. Yates Elementary School