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Norfolk City Public Schools · Elementary School · Grades PK-5

Richard Bowling Elementary School

2700 East Princess Anne Road, Norfolk, VA 23504 · Home of the Hornets

✓ Fully Accredited · 2025-2026
This year · 2025–26
2.2/10
Below state average
Last year · 2024–25
2.6/10
Below state average
▼ Down 0.4 from 2024–25
VaHome School Score

Rating: VaHome School Score, computed from Virginia Department of Education data (2025–26) — methodology on this page. Profile data: NCES & Virginia DOE. School boundaries can change — verify zoning with the district before relying on it.

Richard Bowling Elementary School phone, hours & mascot

Phone
(757) 628-2515
Hours
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (student school day 9:30 a.m. - 3:55 p.m.)
Mascot
Hornets
Principal
Yukita Boone
Address
2700 East Princess Anne Road, Norfolk, VA 23504
Official school website ↗

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.

2.1 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 54.3% across all subjects — 12th percentile statewide.

2.2 · Academic progress

71% of students showed growth in reading and 65% in math — 13th percentile.

2.4 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 14.7% — better attendance than 16% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 2.2 for 2025–26, compared with 2.6 for 2024–25 — down 0.4.

Test scores by subject

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

This school Virginia average
Grade 5 Science
37%state 69%
Virginia Studies
61%state 71%
Grade 3 Mathematics
57%state 74%
Grade 4 Mathematics
56%state 73%
Grade 5 Mathematics
49%state 72%
Grade 3 English Reading
49%state 68%
Grade 4 English Reading
64%state 74%
Grade 5 English Reading
56%state 73%

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

Richard Bowling Elementary School & its school zone

Richard Bowling Elementary School is a public elementary school in Norfolk, VA 23504, part of Norfolk Public Schools. Buyers searching homes for sale near Richard Bowling Elementary School are shopping this Norfolk school zone, one of the areas families compare when weighing Norfolk elementary school zones. On the VaHome School Score the school earns 2.2/10 — below the state average among Virginia's 1,074 public elementary schools, based on Virginia Department of Education data for 2025–26. That is down from 2.6 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 54.3%. On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 71% of students showed growth in English reading and 65% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 14.7%, compared with the 9.0% state median for elementary schools.

For house hunters comparing Norfolk school zones, the listings on this page show active REIN MLS homes near Richard Bowling Elementary School. 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
PK-5
School type
Public elementary school
Established
1953
Enrollment
465 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio
12:1
Classroom teachers
42 FTE
Accreditation
Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID
510267001083

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026
Reading
56%
Mathematics
54%
Science
37%
History & Social Sci.
61%

Attendance

2025-2026

14.7% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Richard Bowling Elementary School

Richard Bowling Elementary School opened in 1953 as Bowling Park Elementary School and was named in honor of the Rev. Richard H. Bowling, Jr., a Norfolk minister; its first principal was Purvis J. Chesson. The building was expanded in 1956, and the school later experienced Norfolk's desegregation and cross-town busing era. Over the years it has adopted initiatives such as the Comer Model for School Improvement and, for a period, same-gender classes and student uniforms. It is now known as Richard Bowling Elementary School.

The school sits at 2700 East Princess Anne Road in the eastern part of Norfolk, Virginia (ZIP 23504), in the Broad Creek area near Norfolk State University. It is part of Norfolk City Public Schools and serves students in grades PK through 5. Its team nickname is the Hornets.

Data sources

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.

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