Southwestern Elementary, Suffolk, VA

At a glance

School district: Suffolk City Public Schools
Grades served: PK-5
School type: Public
Principal: Lori S. Mounie
Established: 1924
Mascot & colors: Mustang · Purple, White
Enrollment: 579 students (2024-2025)
Student–teacher ratio: 19:1
Classroom teachers: 31 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510371001629
Former name: Pioneer Elementary

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2024-2025

Reading

75%

Mathematics

80%

Science

79%

History & Social Sci.

67%

Attendance

2024-2025

Consistent attenders

84%

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

About Southwestern Elementary

The school at 150 Pioneer Road in Suffolk, Virginia, operated for years as Pioneer Elementary School before the Suffolk School Board voted 4-3 in December 2020 to rename it Southwestern Elementary School, effective July 1, 2021. The change restored the historic 'Southwestern' name and recognized the site's role in educating Black students in rural southwestern Suffolk. Education on the site traces to 1924, when the Nansemond County Training School was built with seed funding tied to Sears, Roebuck and Co. leader Julius Rosenwald, whose fund financed schools for Black students across the rural South.

The school sits in a rural, distant section of southwestern Suffolk off U.S. Route 58 and Pioneer Road, and is one of the elementary schools operated by Suffolk City Public Schools. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through grade 5, with a mascot of the Mustang and school colors of purple and white.

Contact

Phone: (757) 925-5782

Official school website ↗

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data — Southwestern Elementary (510371001629) — NCES ID, address, district, grades (PK-5), enrollment (579), teachers (31.00 FTE), student/teacher ratio (18.68), locale (Rural, Distant 42)2024-2025 (staffing/enrollment); 2025-2026 (directory) link ↗
Virginia School Quality Profiles — Southwestern Elementary — Accreditation (Fully Accredited SY2025-26), SOL pass rates, demographics, chronic absenteeism, principal, phone, enrollment2024-2025 / 2025-2026 link ↗
The Suffolk News-Herald — 'Board votes to rename Pioneer Elementary to Southwestern' — Name-change history, 4-3 board vote, 1924 Rosenwald-era origins, southwestern Suffolk setting2020 link ↗
The Suffolk News-Herald — 'Southwestern Elementary School returns' — Rename effective July 1, 2021; Pioneer Road / U.S. Route 58 location2021 link ↗
Southwestern Elementary School official website — Official website URL; Mustang mascot / 'Mustang Family' branding (website unreachable during this session; corroborated via school Facebook and search)2026 link ↗

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

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