T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School, Newport News, VA

T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School phone, hours & mascot

Phone: (757) 886-7778
Hours: Office 8:30 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; student hours 9:20 a.m.–3:55 p.m.
Mascot: Seagulls
Principal: Edward Van Dyke
Address: 480 Colony Rd, 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.

3.4 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 63.5% across all subjects — 26th percentile statewide.

5.1 · Academic progress

83% of students showed growth in reading and 78% in math — 45th percentile.

1.9 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 16.3% — better attendance than 10% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 3.6 for 2025–26, compared with 3.4 for 2024–25 — up 0.2.

Test scores by subject

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

This school Virginia average

Grade 5 Science

73%state 69%

Virginia Studies

55%state 71%

Grade 3 Mathematics

56%state 74%

Grade 4 Mathematics

67%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

60%state 72%

Grade 3 English Reading

55%state 68%

Grade 4 English Reading

74%state 74%

Grade 5 English Reading

72%state 73%

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

T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School & its school zone

T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School serves Newport News, VA 23602 students as a public elementary school in Newport News Public Schools. Buyers searching homes for sale near T. Ryland Sanford 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 3.6/10 — 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 3.4 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 63.5%. On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 83% of students showed growth in English reading and 78% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 16.3%, 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 T. Ryland Sanford 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
Enrollment: 502 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 18:1
Classroom teachers: 27 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510264001075

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

66%

Mathematics

61%

Science

73%

History & Social Sci.

55%

Attendance

2025-2026

16.3% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School

T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School is a public pre-kindergarten through grade 5 school in the Newport News City Public Schools division, located at 480 Colony Road in the northern (Denbigh) section of Newport News, Virginia. It serves roughly 500 students and is classified by the National Center for Education Statistics as a midsize-city school.

For the 2025-2026 school year the school holds a Fully Accredited status from the Virginia Department of Education. Its student body is racially diverse, with Black students the largest group, followed by White and Hispanic students, and the school offers a gifted and talented program.

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data — School Detail ↗ — NCES ID, address, phone, grades, enrollment total and by grade, student/teacher ratio (18.44), FTE teachers (27), locale, charter status, race/ethnicity counts2024-2025
Virginia School Quality Profiles — T. Ryland Sanford Elementary ↗ — Accreditation status, SOL pass rates (reading 65, math 62, science 54, history 62), demographics (econ disadvantaged 58%, EL 14%, SWD 13%), race/ethnicity %, chronic absenteeism 22%, principal, fall membership (enrollment)SOL, attendance & enrollment 2025-2026; accreditation SY2025-2026
T. Ryland Sanford Elementary official website ↗ — Phone, office/student hours, mascot (Seagulls), staff2026

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.

T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School