Ghent K-8 School, Norfolk, VA: Phone, Mascot & Test Scores

Ghent K-8 School phone, hours & mascot

Phone: (757) 628-2565
Hours: Office: Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; School day: 8:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Mascot: Suns
Principal: Dr. Jennifer Banks
Address: 200 Shirley Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23517

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.

7.8 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 82.9% across all subjects — 76th percentile statewide.

7.2 · Academic progress

87% of students showed growth in reading and 86% in math — 68th percentile.

9.5 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 3.5% — better attendance than 94% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 8.0 for 2025–26, compared with 7.1 for 2024–25 — up 0.9.

Test scores by subject

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

This school Virginia average

Grade 5 Science

87%state 69%

Virginia Studies

93%state 71%

Grade 3 Mathematics

78%state 74%

Grade 4 Mathematics

80%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

94%state 72%

Grade 3 English Reading

75%state 68%

Grade 4 English Reading

84%state 74%

Grade 5 English Reading

94%state 73%

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

Ghent K-8 School & its school zone

A public elementary school in Norfolk Public Schools, Ghent School anchors its attendance zone in Norfolk, VA 23517. Buyers searching homes for sale near Ghent School are typically shopping the Lake Taylor School zone, one of the areas families compare when weighing Norfolk elementary school zones. On the VaHome School Score the school earns 8.0/10 — above 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 7.1 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 82.9%, with standout results in Virginia Studies (93% vs a 71% state average) and Grade 5 Mathematics (94% vs a 72% state average). On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 87% of students showed growth in English reading and 86% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 3.5%, better than the 9.0% state median for elementary schools.

For house hunters comparing Norfolk school zones, homes zoned to Ghent School sit in the Lake Taylor School attendance area — use the listings on this page to see every active REIN MLS home in the zone. School zoning and attendance boundaries can change between school years — always verify a specific address's assignment directly with Norfolk 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: Norfolk City Public Schools
Grades served: K-8
School type: Public
Enrollment: 489 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 14:1
Classroom teachers: 36 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510267001096

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

82%

Mathematics

81%

Science

86%

History & Social Sci.

86%

Attendance

2025-2026

3.5% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Ghent K-8 School

Ghent K-8 (locally known as Ghent School) is a public school in Norfolk City Public Schools, located at 200 Shirley Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia. It serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade and, per the state profile, offers a Gifted and Talented program. In 2024-2025 it enrolled 501 students. Its mascot is the Suns.

The school sits within Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood, which was the city's first planned suburb. The surrounding Ghent Historic District, developed largely between 1890 and the early 1900s and named for the Treaty of Ghent, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. A specific founding year for the school itself could not be verified from the authoritative sources consulted.

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data — Ghent K-8 ↗ — NCES ID, address, phone, grades, enrollment by grade, teachers FTE, student/teacher ratio, locale, school type, race/ethnicity counts2024-2025
Virginia School Quality Profiles — Ghent K-8 ↗ — Accreditation status, SOL pass rates, demographics percentages, economically disadvantaged/EL/SWD, chronic absenteeism, fall membership (enrollment)SOL, attendance & enrollment 2025-2026; accreditation SY2025-2026
Ghent School official website (Norfolk City Public Schools) ↗ — Principal, phone, office and school hours, mascot, mission2026
Wikipedia — Ghent (Norfolk) ↗ — Neighborhood/historic district background for About sectionn/a

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.

Ghent K-8 School