Willis A. Jenkins Elementary School, Newport News, VA

Willis A. Jenkins Elementary School phone, hours & mascot

Phone: (757) 881-5400
Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Mascot: Jaguars
Principal: Ebony Griffin
Address: 80 Menchville 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.

2.8 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 60.1% across all subjects — 20th percentile statewide.

2.7 · Academic progress

75% of students showed growth in reading and 67% in math — 19th percentile.

2.8 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 13.6% — better attendance than 20% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 2.8 for 2025–26, compared with 2.5 for 2024–25 — up 0.3.

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

56%state 71%

Grade 3 Mathematics

68%state 74%

Grade 4 Mathematics

55%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

54%state 72%

Grade 3 English Reading

59%state 68%

Grade 4 English Reading

55%state 74%

Grade 5 English Reading

66%state 73%

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

Willis A. Jenkins Elementary School & its school zone

A public elementary school in Newport News Public Schools, Willis A. Jenkins Elementary School anchors its attendance zone in Newport News, VA 23602. Buyers searching homes for sale near Willis A. Jenkins 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 2.8/10 — 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 2.5 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 60.1%. On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 75% of students showed growth in English reading and 67% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 13.6%, 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 Willis A. Jenkins 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
Established: 1967
Enrollment: 468 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 19:1
Classroom teachers: 27 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510264001077

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

60%

Mathematics

59%

Science

69%

History & Social Sci.

56%

Attendance

2025-2026

13.6% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Willis A. Jenkins Elementary School

Willis A. Jenkins Elementary School is a public PK-5 school in the Newport News City Public Schools division, located at 80 Menchville Road in the Menchville area of northern Newport News, Virginia. The school is named for Willis Asbury Jenkins (1860-1929), a pioneering local educator who served as superintendent of Newport News schools from 1901 to 1911 and was credited with starting a kindergarten and organizing teacher conferences. The school received the Jenkins name in 1967.

The school serves a diverse student body of roughly 507 students and, as of the 2025-2026 school year, holds Fully Accredited status from the Virginia Department of Education. It sits in a residential section of the Denbigh/Menchville part of the city on the Virginia Peninsula, near the Warwick River.

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data - Public School Detail ↗ — NCES ID, grades served, total enrollment, enrollment by grade, student/teacher ratio, FTE teachers, locale classification2024-2025
Virginia School Quality Profiles - Willis A. Jenkins Elementary ↗ — Accreditation status, SOL pass rates, demographics, chronic absenteeism, principal, fall membership (enrollment)SOL, attendance & enrollment 2025-2026; accreditation SY2025-2026
PublicSchoolReview - Willis A. Jenkins Elementary ↗ — Corroboration of enrollment, student-teacher ratio, and race/ethnicity breakdown2024-2025
Jenkins Elementary School official site (Newport News City Public Schools) ↗ — Principal, phone number, office hours, mascot2026
Newport News City Public Schools - School Namesakes & History ↗ — Namesake history (Willis Asbury Jenkins), 1967 naming yearhistorical

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.

Willis A. Jenkins Elementary School