Richneck Elementary School, Newport News, VA

Score breakdown

Compared against all 1,106 Virginia public elementary schools. 1–4 is below the state average, 5–6 around it, 7–10 above it.

2.5 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 55.8% across all subjects — 16th percentile statewide.

3.0 · Academic progress

Virginia's accreditation combined rate for English and Math, which credits schools for student growth — 23th percentile.

5.1 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 12.3% — better attendance than 45% of peers statewide.

Test scores by subject

Percent of students passing Virginia SOL tests, 2024–2025.

This school Virginia average

Grade 5 Science

51%state 69%

Virginia Studies

30%state 69%

Grade 3 Mathematics

69%state 73%

Grade 4 Mathematics

52%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

58%state 71%

Grade 3 English Reading

60%state 67%

Grade 4 English Reading

62%state 73%

Grade 5 English Reading

63%state 72%

Source: Virginia Department of Education, School Quality Profiles — SOL pass rates, 2024–2025.

Richneck Elementary School & its school zone

Richneck Elementary School is a public elementary school in Newport News, VA 23608, part of Newport News Public Schools. Buyers searching homes for sale near Richneck 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 3.2/10 — below the state average among Virginia's 1,106 public elementary schools, based on Virginia Department of Education data for 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 55.8%. Virginia's accreditation measures — which credit schools for student growth, not just pass rates — come in at 83% for English and 80% for Math. Chronic absenteeism is 12.3%, compared with the 11.7% state median for elementary schools.

For house hunters comparing Newport News school zones, the listings on this page show active REIN MLS homes near Richneck 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.
Attendance (20%): chronic absenteeism, ranked statewide (lower is better).
Academic progress (30%): Virginia's accreditation combined rate for English and Math, which gives schools credit for students showing growth.
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 (2024–2025) · 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 school
Principal: Rhonda Chambers-Harmon
Enrollment: 502 students (2024-2025)
Student–teacher ratio: 19:1
Classroom teachers: 26 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510264001071

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2024-2025

Reading

62%

Mathematics

60%

Science

51%

History & Social Sci.

30%

Attendance

2024-2025

9.7% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Richneck Elementary School

Richneck Elementary School is a public preschool-through-grade-5 school in the Newport News City Public Schools division, located at 205 Tyner Drive in northern Newport News, Virginia (the Denbigh area, ZIP 23608). It serves a mid-size city attendance zone and enrolled roughly 500 students in the 2024-2025 school year, making it a small-to-mid-sized neighborhood elementary school.

The school drew national news attention on January 6, 2023, when a first-grade teacher, Abby Zwerner, was shot and wounded by a six-year-old student in her classroom; the incident and subsequent litigation were widely documented. For the 2025-2026 school year the school holds Fully Accredited status from the Virginia Department of Education. An exact founding/construction year could not be verified from the authoritative sources reviewed.

Contact

Phone: (757) 886-7772
Office hours: Office hours 8:30 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; student day 9:20 a.m.–3:55 p.m.

Official school website ↗

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data — Richneck Elementary — NCES ID, address, phone, grades, total enrollment (502), FTE teachers (26.0), student/teacher ratio (19.31), locale (City-Midsize), charter status, race/ethnicity counts2024-2025 link ↗
Virginia School Quality Profiles — Richneck Elementary — Accreditation (Fully Accredited, SY2025-26), SOL pass rates (Reading 62, Math 60, Science 51, History 30), demographics (econ disadvantaged 51.5%, EL 6.8%, SWD 9.1%, race/ethnicity), enrollment 503, chronic absenteeism 9.7%, principal2024-2025 (accreditation 2025-2026) link ↗
Richneck Elementary School official website — Principal, main office phone, office hours and student day hours, mission statement, website URL2026 link ↗
Wikipedia — Shooting of Abby Zwerner — Documented January 6, 2023 incident context; location and elementary grade level2023 event link ↗

Figures reflect the 2024-2025 (NCES CCD & VA School Quality Profile); accreditation SY 2025-2026 unless noted. School zoning, boundaries, and ratings change — verify with the school division before making housing decisions.

Richneck Elementary School