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Pennington Middle

Q: Is Pennington Middle a good school?

Pennington Middle ranks 189 th of 419 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-7

189^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 419 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 55% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Pennington Middle is a public middle school located in Pennington Gap, Virginia, serving grades 5-7 with a total enrollment of 287 students. It is part of the Lee County Public Schools district, which is ranked 53 out of 129 school districts in Virginia and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. Pennington Middle has consistently maintained a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years.

Pennington Middle stands out for its strong academic performance, particularly in mathematics and English reading proficiency. The school has consistently outperformed the Lee County Public Schools district and the state of Virginia in these areas, with its 7th-grade mathematics proficiency rate reaching 89.89% in 2024-2025, compared to 80.93% for the district and 52.97% for the state. Pennington Middle also shows impressive performance among its male and low-socioeconomic status student subgroups, ranking in the top 25% and top 20% of Virginia middle schools, respectively, in recent years.

While Pennington Middle's performance is generally stronger than the nearby Jonesville Middle, which is also part of the Lee County Public Schools district, it is outperformed by Union Middle, located in the Wise County Public Schools district. Pennington Middle's fluctuating chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 12.4% to 34.8% in recent years, are an area of concern that the school may need to address. However, the school's increased spending per student, from $7,201 in 2018-2019 to $8,506 in 2020-2021, and its relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 9.5 to 10.7 in recent years, suggest that the school is investing resources to support its students' academic success.

278

Students ?

9.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,496

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

121 Bobcat Circle
Pennington Gap, VA 24277

(276) 546-1453

District: Lee County Public Schools

Students who attend Pennington Middle usually attend:

High:	Lee High
	Thomas Walker High

Feeder schools for Pennington Middle:

Elementary:	Dryden Elementary
	Elk Knob Elementary
	Flatwoods Elementary
	Rose Hill Elementary
	More...
	St. Charles Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.8%

African American:

1.4%

Two or more races:

1.1%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Pennington Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2015 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Virginia median (55th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg73%

Virginia avg69%

189^th of 419

Virginia public middle schools ?

Top 45%▲ up 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to top 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle Schools in the Lee County Public Schools

53^rd of 129Lee 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	57.9	189 of 419	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.4	175 of 417	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.3	220 of 422	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.6	197 of 415	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	144 of 419	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.3	138 of 424	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.9	253 of 413	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	33.5	306 of 415	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.3	312 of 409	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.4	266 of 412	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	57.0	144 of 416	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	39.6	259 of 416	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.4	176 of 413	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	44.6	249 of 413	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.7	233 of 408	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.0	142 of 390	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	76.7	30 of 391	92.3%	★★★★★
2007	48.2	209 of 387	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	56.9	144 of 383	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	37.7	259 of 340	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	77.9	45 of 281	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	49.4	226 of 403	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.1	166 of 407	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.3	244 of 411	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	72.0	80 of 403	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	62 of 402	84.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	64.0	136 of 404	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	171 of 407	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.2	204 of 409	50.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	39.8	270 of 400	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.6	247 of 396	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	307 of 402	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2024)84th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)80th percentile+25 vs school

Male (2025)66th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)44th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)32nd percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics76%+13 vs state

English Reading73%~ state avg

Science68%~ state avg

Civics and Economics61%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pennington Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Algebra I (2025)	SOL Mathematics (2025)				SOL Science (2025)		SOL English Reading (2025)				SOL Civics and Economics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pennington Middle	Public	5-7	121 Bobcat Circle	Pennington Gap	24277	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 546-1453	278	31	9.1	99.6%	269 (96.8%)	4 (1.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	57.9	189^th of 419 public middle schools	54.9%		60.4	175^th of 417 public middle schools	58.0%	14		73.7	65.3	89.9		68.4		68.0	70.4	80.7		60.9	$11,496	$2,149	$9,347
Jonesville Middle	Public	5-7	160 Bulldog Circle	Jonesville	24263	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 346-1011	231	22	10.6	100.0%	219 (94.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.9%)	59.7	178^th of 419 public middle schools	57.5%		68.4	123^rd of 417 public middle schools	70.5%	55		67.1	64.4	75.0		77.1		74.3	68.5	78.8		72.8	$11,344	$2,075	$9,269
Union Middle	Public	5-8	3137 Second Avenue East	Big Stone Gap	24219	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 523-0195	561	46	12.0	93.8%	522 (93.0%)	10 (1.8%)	13 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	14 (2.5%)	79.8	48^th of 419 public middle schools	88.5%		80.8	53^rd of 417 public middle schools	87.3%	5	100.0	65.7	80.3	80.8	76.1	78.8	74.3	85.3	81.9	85.7	80.6	87.5	$9,209	$472	$8,737
Rye Cove Intermediate	Public	5-7	158 Memorial School Lane	Clinchport	24244	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 940-2322	138	15	9.3	79.0%	122 (88.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.3%)	64.3	147^th of 419 public middle schools	64.9%		69.3	118^th of 417 public middle schools	71.7%	29		73.2	73.8	66.7		75.6		73.2	78.6	80.0		68.0	$11,149	$1,169	$9,980

Frequently Asked Questions about Pennington Middle

What high school do graduates of Pennington Middle attend?

Students who attend Pennington Middle usually go on to attend Lee High

How many students attend Pennington Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 278 students attended Pennington Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Pennington Middle?

Students at Pennington Middle are 97% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Pennington Middle in?

Lee County Public Schools

Is Pennington Middle a good school?

Pennington Middle ranks 189^th of 419 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Pennington Middle!

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Schools in Pennington Gap, VA

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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.