Willis A. Jenkins Elementary…, 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.

1.9 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 50.8% across all subjects — 10th percentile statewide.

3.8 · Academic progress

Virginia's accreditation combined rate for English and Math, which credits schools for student growth — 31th percentile.

1.9 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 20.5% — better attendance than 10% of peers statewide.

Test scores by subject

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

This school Virginia average

Grade 5 Science

57%state 69%

Virginia Studies

42%state 69%

Grade 3 Mathematics

60%state 73%

Grade 4 Mathematics

44%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

54%state 71%

Grade 3 English Reading

45%state 67%

Grade 4 English Reading

55%state 73%

Grade 5 English Reading

48%state 72%

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

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 2.5/10 — 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 50.8%. Virginia's accreditation measures — which credit schools for student growth, not just pass rates — come in at 86% for English and 82% for Math. Chronic absenteeism is 20.5%, 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 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.
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
Principal: Ebony Griffin
Established: 1967
Mascot & colors: Jaguars
Enrollment: 507 students (2024-2025)
Student–teacher ratio: 19:1
Classroom teachers: 27 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510264001077

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2024-2025

Reading

49%

Mathematics

53%

Science

57%

History & Social Sci.

42%

Attendance

2024-2025

18.9% 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.

Contact

Phone: (757) 881-5400
Office hours: 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Official school website ↗

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 link ↗
Virginia School Quality Profiles - Willis A. Jenkins Elementary — Accreditation status, SOL pass rates, demographics, chronic absenteeism, principal2024-2025 (accreditation 2025-2026) link ↗
PublicSchoolReview - Willis A. Jenkins Elementary — Corroboration of enrollment, student-teacher ratio, and race/ethnicity breakdown2024-2025 link ↗
Jenkins Elementary School official site (Newport News City Public Schools) — Principal, phone number, office hours, mascot2026 link ↗
Newport News City Public Schools - School Namesakes & History — Namesake history (Willis Asbury Jenkins), 1967 naming yearhistorical link ↗

Figures reflect the 2024-2025 (achievement, enrollment, demographics); 2025-2026 (accreditation) unless noted. School zoning, boundaries, and ratings change — verify with the school division before making housing decisions.

Willis A. Jenkins Elementary School