Best Public Schools in Dayton, VA

Summary:

The city of Dayton, Virginia is home to two schools: Wilbur S. Pence Middle and Ottobine Elementary, both part of the Rockingham County Public Schools district. While the schools share the same district, they exhibit distinct performance profiles and resource allocation differences.

Wilbur S. Pence Middle School stands out for its consistently high performance in 8th grade Algebra I, with 100% proficiency in the last two school years, as well as strong performance in 8th grade Civics and Economics, exceeding the district and state averages. In contrast, Ottobine Elementary School impresses with its exceptional 4th grade Mathematics proficiency, significantly higher than the district and state, and relatively high 5th grade Science and VA Studies scores.

While Wilbur S. Pence Middle School has maintained a consistent 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, Ottobine Elementary School has seen some fluctuation, ranging from 2 to 3 stars. Interestingly, Ottobine Elementary spends significantly more per student ($10,810) compared to Wilbur S. Pence Middle ($6,946), raising questions about the allocation of resources and their impact on student learning.

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)	SOL VA Studies (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 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th 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 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th 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 8th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ottobine Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8646 Waggys Creek Rd	Dayton	22821	Rockingham County	Rockingham County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 879-2091	248	18	13.9	74.2%	225 (90.7%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.4%)	37.4	745^th of 1110 public elementary schools	32.9%		63.6	442^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	60.3%	303		53.3	75.9	71.4				71.4		46.7	62.1	59.2					71.4	$10,127	$123	$10,004
Wilbur S. Pence Middle	Public	6-8	375 Bowman Road	Dayton	22821	Rockingham County	Rockingham County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 879-2535	671	52	12.8	43.1%	479 (71.4%)	21 (3.1%)	130 (19.4%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.9%)	45.1	248^th of 419 public middle schools	40.8%		44.8	251^st of 417 public middle schools	39.8%	3	100.0				58.2	74.8	55.5		64.9				62.2	63.4	59.5	76.6		$9,710	$125	$9,585

Cities Near Dayton

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Bridgewater	1.44 mi	2	190^th
Harrisonburg	2.93 mi	17	350^th
Penn Laird	8.91 mi	4	160^th
Linville	9.22 mi	1	307^th
Mount Solon	9.79 mi	1	283^rd

See the top VA Virginia cities

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.