W.T. Cooke Elementary School, Virginia Beach, VA

W.T. Cooke Elementary School phone & website

Phone: (757) 648-2320
Principal: Kelly Padilla
Address: 1501 Mediterranean Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

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.

6.4 · Test scores

SOL pass rate of 77.0% across all subjects — 60th percentile statewide.

6.5 · Academic progress

84% of students showed growth in reading and 86% in math — 61th percentile.

5.7 · Attendance

Chronic absenteeism of 8.8% — better attendance than 52% of peers statewide.

Year over year: 6.3 for 2025–26, compared with 6.0 for 2024–25 — up 0.3.

Test scores by subject

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

This school Virginia average

Grade 5 Science

66%state 69%

Virginia Studies

81%state 71%

Grade 3 Mathematics

81%state 74%

Grade 4 Mathematics

82%state 73%

Grade 5 Mathematics

73%state 72%

Grade 3 English Reading

75%state 68%

Grade 4 English Reading

77%state 74%

Grade 5 English Reading

79%state 73%

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

W.T. Cooke Elementary School & its school zone

W.T. Cooke Elementary School serves Virginia Beach, VA 23451 students as a public elementary school in Virginia Beach Public Schools. Buyers searching homes for sale near W.T. Cooke Elementary School are shopping this Virginia Beach school zone, one of the areas families compare when weighing Virginia Beach elementary school zones. On the VaHome School Score the school earns 6.3/10 — around 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 6.0 in 2024–25.

The school's overall SOL pass rate is 77.0%, with standout results in Virginia Studies (81% vs a 71% state average). On Virginia's 2025–26 growth measures, 84% of students showed growth in English reading and 86% in math. Chronic absenteeism is 8.8%, better than the 9.0% state median for elementary schools.

For house hunters comparing Virginia Beach school zones, the listings on this page show active REIN MLS homes near W.T. Cooke Elementary School. School zoning and attendance boundaries can change between school years — always verify a specific address's assignment directly with Virginia Beach 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: Virginia Beach City Public Schools
Grades served: PK-5
School type: Regular public school (not charter)
Established: 1904 · this campus 2000
Enrollment: 533 students (2025-2026)
Student–teacher ratio: 14:1
Classroom teachers: 39.2 FTE
Accreditation: Fully Accredited (2025-2026)
NCES school ID: 510384001723

Academic performance

SOL pass rates · 2025-2026

Reading

77%

Mathematics

79%

Science

66%

History & Social Sci.

81%

Attendance

2025-2026

8.8% of students were chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days).

About W.T. Cooke Elementary School

W.T. Cooke Elementary traces its origins to 1904, when roughly forty oceanfront children were taught in two upstairs rooms of the Driftwood Cottage near 11th and 12th Streets under teacher Laura R. Washington. A permanent two-story brick schoolhouse opened in September 1913 on 15th Street at a cost of about $14,000. Sometime after 1919 the school was named for Willoughby Talbot Cooke, a retired Norfolk businessman who joined the Virginia Beach School Board in 1919 and was known for his interest in local education.

The school was expanded and renovated repeatedly through the 20th century, with additions in 1946 and 1954 and a gymnasium in 1991, before being fully rebuilt. The current facility opened in 2000 on the same 15th Street/Mediterranean Avenue site in the Virginia Beach Oceanfront area, designed to serve 550+ students. Today it operates within Virginia Beach City Public Schools, serving grades PK-5 and offering a Gifted & Talented program.

Data sources

NCES Common Core of Data — W.T. Cooke Elementary ↗ — NCES School ID, enrollment (555), grades PK-5, classroom teachers FTE (39.20), student-teacher ratio (14.16), locale (City, Large), charter status, race/ethnicity counts, free/reduced lunch counts2024-2025
Virginia School Quality Profiles — W.T. Cooke Elementary ↗ — Accreditation status, SOL pass rates (reading/math/science/history), demographics percentages, economically disadvantaged, English learners, students with disabilities, chronic absenteeism, principal, grades, fall membership (enrollment)SOL, attendance & enrollment 2025-2026; accreditation SY2025-2026
Cooke Elementary School — Our School (VBCPS) ↗ — Founding/history (1904 origins, 1913 building, 2000 rebuild), phone, official website URL2026
Wikimedia Commons — US Navy photo at W.T. Cooke Elementary ↗ — Public-domain (US Navy) photo taken at the school2010

Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Christina M. Shaw (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Navy) via Wikimedia Commons

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.

W.T. Cooke Elementary School