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Gunston Middle

Public Grades 6-8
168th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 419 Virginia Middle Schools
Better than 60% of Virginia middle schools
Summary

Gunston Middle is a public middle school located in Arlington, Virginia, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,031 students. It is part of the Arlington County Public Schools district, which is ranked 28th out of 129 school districts in Virginia and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gunston Middle consistently ranks in the top 50% of Virginia middle schools, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school performs well in advanced math courses, with 100% proficiency in Algebra I and Geometry for 7th and 8th grades. However, Gunston Middle's performance in general math and reading is slightly below the district and state averages. The school has a diverse student population, with a significant percentage of Hispanic (35%), African American (25%), and Asian (15%) students, and a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (34.82% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch). Gunston Middle has also seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.8% in 2020-2021 to 15.7% in 2023-2024.

Compared to nearby schools, Gunston Middle's academic performance is generally lower than the top-performing schools in the Arlington County district, such as Williamsburg Middle and Dorothy Hamm Middle, which consistently rank in the top 5-10% of Virginia middle schools. However, Gunston Middle outperforms some of the nearby schools in the Fairfax County and Alexandria City districts, such as Holmes Middle and Francis C. Hammond Middle, which struggle with lower academic achievement and higher rates of poverty.

1,072
Students ?
15.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$14,879
Per pupil spending ?
32%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 2700 S Lang St
       Arlington, VA  22206

(703) 228-6900

District: Arlington County Public Schools


Students who attend Gunston Middle usually attend:

High:    Wakefield High

Feeder schools for Gunston Middle:

Elementary:    Hoffman-Boston Elementary
    Oakridge Elementary
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
37.8%
White:
32.1%
African American:
15.2%
more
 See top rated Virginia middle schools

 Compare Gunston Middle to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 53rd percentile in 2015 → 60th in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015
Above the Virginia median (60th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school73%
District avg77%
Virginia avg69%
168th of 419
Virginia public middle schools ?
Top 40%▲ up 7 pts since 2015
From top 47% (2015) to top 40% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 6Middle Schools in the Arlington County Public Schools
28th of 129Arlington County Public Schools among Virginia districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202561.1168 of 41959.9%★★★☆☆
202458.7185 of 41755.6%★★★☆☆
202355.5194 of 42254.0%★★★☆☆
202250.5198 of 41552.3%★★★☆☆
202158.4140 of 41966.6%★★★☆☆
201956.1184 of 42456.6%★★★☆☆
201859.5141 of 41365.9%★★★☆☆
201764.2103 of 41575.2%★★★★☆
201657.0159 of 40961.1%★★★☆☆
201550.9193 of 41253.2%★★★☆☆
201455.2159 of 41661.8%★★★☆☆
201359.1131 of 41668.5%★★★☆☆
201241.3272 of 41334.1%★★☆☆☆
201139.1286 of 41330.8%★★☆☆☆
201026.8349 of 40814.5%★☆☆☆☆
200934.7293 of 39024.9%★☆☆☆☆
200830.0328 of 39116.1%★☆☆☆☆
200730.1333 of 38714.0%★☆☆☆☆
200623.5352 of 3838.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200536.7267 of 34021.5%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202553.4138 of 29753.5%★★★☆☆
202452.0146 of 29951.2%★★★☆☆
202343.6179 of 29839.9%★★☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202550.180 of 13641.2%★★☆☆☆
202442.192 of 12828.1%★☆☆☆☆
202347.282 of 13237.9%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202443.4144 of 28148.8%★★☆☆☆
202356.0103 of 27862.9%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202540.572 of 13546.7%★★☆☆☆
202447.550 of 12259.0%★★★☆☆
202350.137 of 10063.0%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202558.7177 of 40356.1%★★★☆☆
202459.0185 of 40754.5%★★★☆☆
202356.9180 of 41156.2%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202554.6127 of 27954.5%★★★☆☆
202447.2145 of 27246.7%★★☆☆☆
202341.0159 of 27542.2%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202538.8267 of 40333.7%★★☆☆☆
202436.8273 of 40232.1%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202561.7153 of 40462.1%★★★☆☆
202457.6177 of 40756.5%★★★☆☆
202354.3188 of 40954.0%★★★☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202543.286 of 13033.8%★★☆☆☆
202453.260 of 12351.2%★★★☆☆
202350.562 of 11445.6%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202571.060 of 24475.4%★★★★☆
202476.832 of 23786.5%★★★★☆
202371.858 of 23174.9%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202578.340 of 40090.0%★★★★★
202478.144 of 39688.9%★★★★☆
202379.142 of 40289.6%★★★★☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
White (2025)90th percentile+30 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)75th percentile+16 vs school
Male (2025)62nd percentile~ school
Female (2025)56th percentile-4 vs school
Hispanic (2025)54th percentile-5 vs school
African American (2025)54th percentile-6 vs school
Disabled (2024)49th percentile-7 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)47th percentile-13 vs school
Asian (2025)41st percentile-19 vs school
Military Connected (2025)34th percentile-26 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)34th percentile-26 vs school
By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?
Geometry100%+3 vs state
Algebra I100%+6 vs state
English Reading78%+5 vs state
Civics and Economics74%+5 vs state
Science69%+4 vs state
Mathematics60%+4 vs state

3.8
6 ratings · 3 written reviews
54
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21
11
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What people are saying
by a parent
Monday, February 21, 2022

Open Quote Too many resources allocated for behavior problems, good kids penalized staff and administration make promises they don't keep poor communication Close Quote


by a citizen
Friday, June 10, 2016

Open Quote Exception made for some teachers which are dedicated to teach the Administration of this school seems out of touch with the community of families and children they are expected to serve. On top of that an assistant teacher is arrested for selling pot to a student.... Close Quote


by a parent
Sunday, February 16, 2014

Open Quote Gunston is a great middle school with amazing diversity in its students and staff. Its partial immersion program in Spanish is top-notch and its Spanish for Fluent Speakers program allows students who speak Spanish at home but have never studied it the opportunity to become truly knowledgeable about their language. Excellent academic programs, dedicated teachers, an active PTA, and a principal who is always striving for the best make Gunston a perfect choice. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Gunston Middle

Students at Gunston Middle are 38% Hispanic, 32% White, 15% African American, 8% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

Gunston Middle ranks 168th of 419 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,072 students attended Gunston Middle.

Students who attend Gunston Middle usually go on to attend Wakefield High


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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