Willard Model Elementary School, Norfolk, VA: Phone & Mascot

Willard Model Elementary School phone, hours & mascot

Phone: (757) 628-2721
Hours: Office: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM; student day: 8:55 AM - 3:20 PM
Mascot: Sharks
Principal: Mrs. Karen Pernell
Address: 1511 Willow Wood Drive, Norfolk, VA 23509

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.

3.6 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 64.5% across all subjects — 28th percentile statewide.

3.0 · Academic progress

75% of students showed growth in reading and 71% in math — 22th percentile.

4.5 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 10.4% — better attendance than 39% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 3.6 for 2025–26, compared with 3.8 for 2024–25 — down 0.2.

Test scores by subject

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

This school Virginia average

Grade 5 Science

63%state 69%

Virginia Studies

67%state 71%

Grade 3 Mathematics

67%state 74%

Grade 4 Mathematics

57%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

61%state 72%

Grade 3 English Reading

65%state 68%

Grade 4 English Reading

68%state 74%

Grade 5 English Reading

64%state 73%

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

Willard Model Elementary School & its school zone

Willard Model Elementary School serves Norfolk, VA 23509 students as a public elementary school in Norfolk Public Schools. Buyers searching homes for sale near Willard Model 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 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 down from 3.8 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 64.5%. On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 75% of students showed growth in English reading and 71% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 10.4%, 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 Willard Model 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 (regular, non-charter)
Enrollment: 460 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 11:1
Classroom teachers: 39 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510267001087

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

66%

Mathematics

62%

Science

63%

History & Social Sci.

67%

Attendance

2025-2026

10.4% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About Willard Model Elementary School

Willard Model Elementary School is a public PK-5 school in the Lakewood area of Norfolk, Virginia, and is part of Norfolk City Public Schools. In 1986 the school was selected to receive a Virginia state grant to become a demonstration or "model" school intended to serve as a prototype for "the elementary school of the Twenty-First Century," a designation reflected in its name.

The school sits at 1511 Willow Wood Drive in a midsize-city residential setting. It enrolls roughly 440 students and operates as a regular, non-charter public school within the Norfolk division.

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data - Willard Elementary ↗ — NCES ID, address, phone, grades, total enrollment, enrollment by grade, race/ethnicity counts, teachers FTE, student/teacher ratio, locale, charter status2024-2025
Virginia School Quality Profiles - Willard Elementary ↗ — Accreditation status, SOL pass rates, demographics percentages, economically disadvantaged/EL/SWD, chronic absenteeism, principal, fall membership (enrollment)SOL, attendance & enrollment 2025-2026; accreditation SY2025-2026
Willard Elementary School official site (Norfolk Public Schools) ↗ — Principal, phone, office/student hours, website, mascot, model-school history, Lakewood neighborhood2026

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.

Willard Model Elementary School