James K. Polk Elementary School, 5000 Polk Ave.: grades K-5, 778 students in fall 2025, fully accredited, rated Approaching Expectations.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Sources: James K. Polk Elementary School, Alexandria City Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Education’s School Quality Profile and the federal NCES school directory.

James K. Polk Elementary School is a public elementary school run by Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS). It serves kindergarten through fifth grade on Polk Avenue in the western part of the city and is one of the division’s larger elementary schools.

Who to call

  • Front office: 703-461-4180
  • Registrar (new students): Myra Matthews, per the registrars list
  • ACPS central office: 703-619-8000, 1340 Braddock Place; questions to ask@acps.k12.va.us
  • Buses: ACPS Office of Pupil Transportation, 703-461-4169
Address 5000 Polk Ave., Alexandria, VA 22304
Phone 703-461-4180
Grades Kindergarten to 5
School hours 8 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
Website jkp.acps.k12.va.us
Division Alexandria City Public Schools

Principal

Principal Carla Carter, according to the school’s website, which says she joined ACPS in August 1996 as an elementary teacher. Katherine Loiselle has been an assistant principal since 2021.

Enrollment and teachers

  • State count: 778 students in fall 2025, compared with 804 in 2024 and 833 in 2023, in the School Quality Profile. The state count includes 26 pre-K students; ACPS lists the school as kindergarten to fifth grade.
  • Federal count: 833 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 50 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That works out to about 17 students per teacher.

State report card

Virginia rates each school two ways on its School Quality Profile. Accreditation shows whether the school has submitted, and the state has approved, the evidence the Standards of Accreditation require. The School Performance and Support Framework gives each school a score and one of four performance levels: Distinguished, Meets Expectations, Approaching Expectations or Needs Intensive Support.

  • Accreditation, 2025-26: Fully Accredited
  • Framework score: 84.73, rated Approaching Expectations, in the division summary

Standards of Learning pass rates (share of tested students who passed, grades 3 to 5):

Subject 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
English reading 60% 57% 62%
Math 61% 65% 68%
Science 55% 69% 58%

Math pass rates have risen each of the last two years. The full profile also reports attendance, spending and teacher data.

Attendance zone and feeder schools

Look up an address in the ACPS Attendance Zone Locator, which shows its elementary, middle and high school for 2026-27 and whether a student qualifies for a bus. ACPS publishes its elementary-to-middle feeder patterns as maps on the redistricting page instead of as a list, so the locator is the reliable check for a single address. Every ACPS student goes on to Alexandria City High School.

New elementary and middle school boundaries, approved by the School Board on June 12, 2025, took effect this school year; check the locator, and see the boundaries page for who could stay at a former school for a year or two.

Elementary students who live within one mile of school are expected to walk; see the James K. Polk walk zone map. In kindergarten, a school that is over its class-size limit holds a lottery among registered students and places some at another ACPS school. Our Alexandria schools guide covers the rezoning.

Programs

Kindergartners at James K. Polk may apply to join the Spanish-English two-way dual language program at John Adams Elementary, if there is room, under the ACPS program transfer rules.

Calendar and bell times

From the ACPS 2026-27 traditional calendar:

  • Friday, Oct. 30: end of first quarter
  • Monday, Nov. 2, and Tuesday, Nov. 3: no school (teacher work day, then Election Day)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1: winter break
  • Thursday, June 17, 2027: last day of school

School hours are 8 a.m. to 2:35 p.m., according to the school’s schedules page, with breakfast from 7:30 a.m. and doors open to all students at 7:50 a.m.

More on Alexandria schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does James K. Polk serve?

Kindergarten through fifth grade, according to Alexandria City Public Schools.

How is James K. Polk rated by the state?

It is fully accredited for 2025-26. In Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework it scored 84.73 and is rated Approaching Expectations.

What time does James K. Polk Elementary start?

School hours are 8 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. Doors open to all students at 7:50 a.m., and breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m.

Which high school does James K. Polk feed into?

Alexandria City High School, the city’s only public high school. The middle school depends on the address; check the ACPS Attendance Zone Locator.