Best Public Schools in Crewe, VA

The city of Crewe, Virginia, is served by four public schools within the Nottoway County Public Schools district, covering grades PK–12 with a combined enrollment of 1,421 students. The district ranks in the bottom quarter of Virginia districts (22nd percentile), but that overall rating hides enormous differences between schools. Crewe Primary is the clear standout, ranking in the 67th–76th percentile of state elementary schools and consistently beating Virginia averages in reading and math — including 4th grade math proficiency of nearly 92% in 2024–2025. This is especially striking because Crewe Primary has the lowest per-student spending ($7,259) and a higher student–teacher ratio than the other schools.

By contrast, Nottoway Middle is the most struggling school, collapsing from the 19th percentile of Virginia middle schools in 2023–2024 to the 5th percentile in 2025–2026. Only 12.77% of 7th graders and 15.38% of 8th graders scored proficient in math, compared to state averages near 47–51%. The comparison is powerful because the student populations are nearly identical — all four schools have essentially 100% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility — yet Nottoway Middle spends the most per student ($10,582) and has the smallest classes. The academic collapse actually begins at Nottoway Intermediate, where 5th grade math proficiency drops to 47.46% versus the state average of 72.39%, showing that the strong gains from Crewe Primary are not sustained.

Nottoway High sends mixed signals: its graduation rate (92.9%) is slightly above the state average and some scores are outstanding — including 100% proficiency in World History I — but chronic absenteeism of 27% is nearly double the state rate, and geometry proficiency trails badly. Absenteeism climbs steadily with age across the district, from 10% at Crewe Primary to 27% at the high school. The most urgent takeaway is clear: understand what Crewe Primary does well and replicate it in the middle grades before student performance falls off a cliff. Spending more money and reducing class sizes at the struggling middle school has not produced results.