Nottingham Elementary vs Discovery Elementary

Nottingham Elementary and Discovery Elementary sit 0.6 miles apart in Arlington, Virginia, and their overall ratings reflect how closely matched they are: Nottingham Elementary earns a 9.3/10 versus Discovery Elementary's 9.2/10 — a 0.1-point gap. State rank tells a similar story, with Nottingham Elementary at #12 of 1,850 Virginia schools and Discovery Elementary at #20 of 1,850. Both land in the top 1% of the state, so the difference is marginal in practical terms, but Nottingham holds the edge at every measured level.

Academically, that edge is most visible in the academic score: Nottingham Elementary posts a 9.2/10 compared to Discovery Elementary's 8.8/10 — a 0.4-point gap that, against the compressed scale at the top of Virginia rankings, represents a meaningful separation in tested proficiency. Growth scores are nearly identical, with Nottingham Elementary at 9.3/10 and Discovery Elementary at 9.2/10, meaning both schools accelerate student learning at roughly the same rate regardless of where kids start.

On demographics and classroom structure, the two schools diverge more noticeably. Nottingham Elementary enrolls 374 students against Discovery Elementary's 523 — a 40% larger student body at Discovery. Discovery's student-teacher ratio is 13.4:1 compared to Nottingham's 14.4:1, so Discovery offsets its larger enrollment with proportionally more staff, keeping class sizes comparable. Free and reduced-price lunch rates are nearly identical at 3% for Nottingham Elementary and 4% for Discovery Elementary, indicating both schools serve predominantly higher-income families with very similar socioeconomic profiles.

Both schools cover the same grade span, PK through 5th grade, so families with preschoolers through fifth graders have full access at either campus. The distinguishing program-level factor is the academic score gap: Discovery Elementary's 8.8/10 versus Nottingham Elementary's 9.2/10 suggests stronger aggregate test performance at Nottingham, while Discovery's lower student-teacher ratio of 13.4:1 provides slightly more individual attention per student despite the larger overall enrollment.