Discovery Elementary School, 5241 36th St. N.: pre-K to grade 5, 416 K-5 students on Sept. 30, 2026, framework score 102.9. Office: 703-228-2685.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. Sources: Discovery Elementary, Arlington Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Education’s School Quality Profile and the federal NCES school directory.

Discovery Elementary School is an Arlington Public Schools (APS) neighborhood elementary school. It sits at 5241 36th St. N., next door to Williamsburg Middle School, and serves pre-K through fifth grade. The school’s website gives its number as 703-228-2685; the state and federal directories show 703-288-2685.

Who to call

  • Main office: 703-228-2685
  • New to APS (registration): APS Welcome Center, 703-228-8000, option 1; 2110 Washington Blvd., first floor
  • Buses and general questions: APS main line, 703-228-8000
  • Which school serves an address: School and Community Relations, 703-228-6005
Address 5241 36th St. N., Arlington, VA 22207
Grades Pre-K to 5
School day 9 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. (early release 1:30 p.m.)
Website discovery.apsva.us
Division Arlington Public Schools

Principal

Principal Erin Healy, according to the school’s website.

Enrollment and teachers

  • APS count: 416 students in kindergarten through fifth grade on Sept. 30, 2026, plus 36 in preschool programs, in APS’s official membership summary (PDF).
  • State count: 472 students in fall 2025, including 24 in pre-K, after 489 in 2024 and 523 in 2023, in the School Quality Profile.
  • Federal count: 523 students in the 2023-24 school year, with 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, according to the NCES directory. That works out to about 13 students per teacher.

APS’s Sept. 30 count includes 30 children in Primary Montessori preschool at Discovery, which also hosts one of APS’s dual language pre-K classes, according to the membership summary (PDF).

State report card

Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework scores each school on mastery on state tests, growth, readiness and graduation, according to APS’s framework page. Schools scoring 90 or more are Distinguished, 80 to 89 Meets Expectations, 65 to 79 Approaching Expectations and below 65 Needs Intensive Support.

  • 2026-27 framework score: 102.9, rated Distinguished, with no federal identification, in the division summary (PDF).
  • Accreditation: Fully Accredited

Standards of Learning pass rates (grades 3 to 5, share of tested students who passed), from the School Quality Profile:

Subject 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
English reading 90% 94% 94%
Math 93% 95% 93%
Science 85% 90% 90%

Attendance zone

APS assigns neighborhood schools by home address. Check an address in the APS boundary locator or on the 2026-27 elementary boundary map (PDF).

Middle and high school: on APS’s boundary maps, the whole Discovery zone lies in the Williamsburg Middle zone and the Yorktown High School zone.

Calendar and bell times

From the APS 2026-27 calendar:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 28: early release, all schools
  • Monday, Nov. 2: end of first quarter
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3: no school for students (Election Day)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Dec. 23 to Jan. 1: winter break
  • Thursday, March 18, 2027: early release; Friday, March 19: no school (parent-teacher conferences)
  • March 22-26, 2027: spring break
  • Thursday, June 17, 2027: last day of school, early release

The school day runs 9 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., with early release at 1:30 p.m., according to APS. Each elementary school holds a family information session between November and January; see the schedule.

More on Arlington schools

Frequently asked questions

What grades does Discovery Elementary serve?

Pre-K through fifth grade. APS counted 416 students in kindergarten through fifth grade on Sept. 30, 2026, plus 36 in preschool programs.

How is Discovery Elementary rated by the state?

It is fully accredited. In Virginia’s 2026-27 School Performance and Support Framework it scored 102.9 and is rated Distinguished, with no federal identification.

Which middle and high school does Discovery Elementary feed into?

Williamsburg Middle, next door, and Yorktown High. The whole Discovery zone lies inside both zones on APS’s boundary maps.

What time does Discovery Elementary start?

9 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., with early release at 1:30 p.m., according to Arlington Public Schools.