Virginia staff writer for Only in Your State, freelance writer and journalist. Even though Anna has lived other places, somehow Virginia is where she always seems to land.
Virginia is known for its outstanding schools – from elementary schools through universities and colleges. We are consistently ranked in the top 20% nationally for our statewide school systems, with individual schools, colleges and universities falling in the top spots in national rankings from sources like U.S. News & World Report.
While, traditionally, Northern Virginia schools have dominated national rankings, today, we are taking a look at the numbers from a different angle, showing many smaller towns and areas that offer outstanding educational opportunities.
When it comes to looking at which areas gain top honors at a state level, we’ve turned to a site called School Digger for our data. School Digger uses 2014-2015 test scores published by the Virginia Department of Education, then normalizes and averages each school’s test scores across all tests and grades. From there the schools are ranked. To find which cities and towns have the highest scores overall, they establish a “Rank Score” by averaging the rank percentile for each eligible school within the city or town.
We think you might be pleasantly surprised to see just how many great schools we have out there…
1. Millboro (Bath County Public Schools): Rank Score 0.989
Located in Bath County, this town has only one school in the town limits, Millboro Elementary (K-7). Upper school students attend the county high school, so were not included in the average. Certainly, this helps keep the test score high, but this last school year, Millboro Elementary received the 2015 Board of Education Distinquished Achievement Award, showing that they've earned their place at the head of the class. The schools had an Average Standard Score of 94.59% in 2015.
2. West Point (West Point Public Schools): Rank Score 0.975
With an elementary, middle and high school all within the town limits, this King William County town showed strong performances across the board. Both West Point High School (Average Standard Score: 91.96%) and West Point Elementary (Average Standard Score: 84.72%) showed up in the top 10 best schools in their category, with the high school at #2 and the elementary school at #6, giving them an impressive average and high ranking on School Digger's list.
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3. Great Falls (Fairfax County Public Schools): Rank Score 0.964
With 2 elementary schools, Great Falls in Northern Virginia comes in with Average Standard Scores over 87% and a #3 spot on School Digger's list. Located in Fairfax County, Great Falls' students feed into Langley High School, which is #18 on School Digger's list of top high schools.
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4. McLean (Fairfax Public Schools): Rank Score 0.963
McLean offers 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school and 1 high school within it's school zone. McLean High School has received an impressive Best High School Gold ranking from U.S. News and World Report. The photo above shows the McLean High School girls' gymnastics receiving recognition from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors after winning the Virginia High School League 6A state championship.
5. Penhook (Franklin County Public Schools): Rank Score 0.963
Penhook's Snow Creek Elementary is the only school in Penhook (a census-designated area in Franklin County), but with Average Standard Scores of almost 87%, Penhook stays ahead of the curve. Recognized for providing high quality education for economically disadvantaged students, Snow Creek gained recognition from the Board of Education as a "Title I Highly Distinguished School" in 2014.
This little town on the border of Albemarle and Fluvanna Counites boasts one elementary school (middle and high school students attend Walton Middle School and Monticello High School). Average Standard Scores of 86.33% help to keep this school in the top 50 elementary schools statewide and put Scottsville in the School Digger Top 10.
7. Rosedale (Russell County Public Schools): Rank Score 0.949
Rosedale is set against the stunning backdrop of Southwest Virginia with one elementary school. And, of course, its only fitting that this historic area would have an historic school. Belfast Elk Garden Elementary School started as a one-room log cabin school in 1885. The current building was constructed in 1916 and, today, is the oldest school building in Russell County. Serving grades k-6, Belfast Elk Garden Elementary School shows test scores averaging out at almost 86%.
8. Hampton Roads at Langley Air Force Base (York County Public Schools): 0.942
No, Langley Air Force Base is NOT a town. However, because of the large number of military personnel and families living at the Hampton Roads base, Bethel Manor Elementary School is housed on the base. School Digger included Bethel Manor on their list because of its Standard Average Scores of 85.56%. This school is clearly doing a great job of preparing kids to move on to the next level.
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9. Weber City (Scott County Public Schools): Rank Score 0.932
Located in the Appalachian Mountains in Southwest Virginia's Scott County, Weber City is home to Weber City Elementary (upper school students attend county-wide schools). With Standard Average Test Scores of 84.78%, Weber City focuses on "Inspiring Excellence and Empowering Potential." With these kinds of scores, it appears they are meeting their goals.
10. Oakton (Fairfax County Public Schools): Rank Score 0.927
Situated in Fairfax County, Oakton includes 2 elementary schools, Oakton Elementary and Waples Mill Elementary, in their averages. With Standard Average Scores of 82.05% and 87.40% respectively, these schools are helping to set the academic standards in the state. Although Oakton High School and James Madison High School serve the students of Oakton, they are both, technically, located in nearby Vienna.
To see a more detailed list or to find out more about how School Digger determines their score, be sure to check out School Digger’s Virginia City Rankings. In the meantime, let us know what you think about Virginia’s schools in the comments below!
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