Arlington, Prince William Home To Highest Ranked Schools In Virginia For K-8: U.S. News

VIRGINIA — Several elementary and middle schools in Northern Virginia have been ranked among the best in the state, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

U.S. News ranked Arlington Traditional School as the highest in Virginia among elementary schools, according to the new list. And Prince William County's Mary G. Porter Traditional was ranked the best middle school in the state.

Here’s a look at how elementary schools in Northern Virginia ranked compared with others in the state:

• No. 1: Arlington Traditional, Arlington Public Schools
• No. 8: Sangster Elementary, Springfield, Fairfax County Public Schools
• No. 9: Poplar Tree Elementary, Chantilly, Fairfax County Public Schools
• No. 16: Mosaic Elementary, Fairfax, Fairfax County Public Schools
• No. 18: Springfield Estates, Springfield, Fairfax County Public Schools

Here’s a look at how middle schools in Northern Virginia ranked compared with others in the state:

• No. 1: Mary G. Porter Traditional, Woodbridge, Prince William County Public Schools
• No. 3: Pennington Traditional, Manassas, Prince William County Public Schools
• No. 11: Patrick Henry School, Alexandria, Alexandria City Public Schools
• No. 12: Longfellow Middle, Falls Church, Fairfax County Public Schools
• No. 14: Cooper Middle, McLean, Fairfax County Public Schools

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Schools were also ranked by district. Here’s how elementary and middle schools in Fairfax County measured up:

Elementary Schools

1. Sangster Elementary, Springfield
2. Poplar Tree Elementary, Chantilly
3. Mosaic Elementary, Fairfax

Middle Schools

1. Longfellow Middle, Falls Church
2. Cooper Middle, McLean
3. Lake Braddock, Burke

Here are the top-ranked elementary and middle schools in Prince William County:

Elementary Schools

1. Mary G. Porter Traditional, Woodbridge
2. Sonnie Penn Elementary, Woodbridge
3. Old Bridge Elementary, Woodbridge

Middle Schools

1. Mary G. Porter Traditional, Woodbridge
2. Pennington Traditional, Manassas
3. Lake Ridge Middle, Woodbridge

Here are the top-ranked elementary and middle schools in Loudoun County:

Elementary Schools

1. Emerick Elementary, Purcellville
2. Lincoln Elementary, Lincoln
3. Madison's Trust Elementary, Brambleton

Middle Schools

1. Eagle Ridge Middle, Ashburn
2. J. Michael Lunsford, Chantilly
3. Mercer Middle, Aldie

Here are the top-ranked elementary and middle schools in Arlington County:

Elementary Schools

1. Arlington Traditional
2. Arlington Science Focus
3. Glebe Elementary

Middle Schools

1. Williamsburg Middle
2. Swanson Middle
3. Kenmore Middle

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools.