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Best Public Schools in McLean, VA

New rankings! Virginia test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

8,986

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedKent Gardens Elementary4^th of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Sherman Elementary up 45 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Sherman Elementary 11.1 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

Compare Virginia cities →See the top-ranked Virginia schools →

Summary:

McLean, Virginia is home to 8 public schools within Fairfax County Public Schools, serving approximately 8,986 students from elementary through high school in one of the Washington, D.C. area's most affluent communities. These schools are among the strongest in the state, with every campus ranking in the 81st percentile or higher in Virginia.

Kent Gardens Elementary stands out as McLean's highest-ranked school at #4 in Virginia, with near-perfect SOL scores including 100% in 5th-grade math. Churchill Road Elementary follows at #7, boasting the lowest free/reduced lunch rate in McLean at 2.05%. Among middle schools, Cooper Middle ranks #18 in Virginia with outstanding advanced math results, including 100% proficiency in Geometry and Algebra II. At the high school level, Langley High is the clear leader: ranked #13 in Virginia with a 99.6% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate, compared to McLean High, which ranks #62 and has a 96% graduation rate and 2.3% dropout rate. Notably, McLean High has slipped from #29 three years ago and serves the highest-need population in the city, with a 12.97% FRL rate. Sherman Elementary, while the lowest-ranked McLean school at #125, still ranks in the 89th percentile and has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 3.7%.

McLean schools outpace district and state averages dramatically. Chronic absenteeism averages roughly 9.3% versus Virginia's 14.8%, and high school graduation averages 97.8% versus 92.3% statewide. Advanced math acceleration is a signature strength: several elementary schools report 100% Algebra I proficiency in 6th grade, and Cooper Middle shows near-perfect Geometry and Algebra II scores. Interestingly, spending doesn't align with outcomes: Sherman spends the most per student ($13,033) yet ranks lowest, while top-ranked Kent Gardens spends just $9,471 per student. The higher student-teacher ratio at Langley (17.7) versus McLean High (13.5) also demonstrates that smaller classes don't guarantee stronger results. Overall, McLean's compact feeder system delivers exceptional outcomes driven by a low-poverty, highly engaged community, though 12th-grade reading scores drop sharply at both high schools — an artifact of students retaking the test rather than a genuine senior-year decline.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SOL Geometry (2026)				SOL Algebra I (2026)						SOL Algebra II (2026)			SOL Mathematics (2026)					SOL Chemistry (2026)	SOL Biology (2026)			SOL Science (2026)		SOL Earth Science (2026)		SOL English Reading (2026)								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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Geometry 7th Grade	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Geometry 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 6th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 11th Grade	SOL Algebra II 8th Grade	SOL Algebra II 9th Grade	SOL Algebra II 10th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Chemistry 10th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 10th Grade	SOL Earth Science 11th 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 English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Chesterbrook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1753 Kirby Rd	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 714-8200	557	38	14.5	2.5%	338 (60.7%)	9 (1.6%)	61 (11.0%)	85 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (11.5%)	89.8	47^th of 1111 public elementary schools	95.8%		90.1	50^th of 1110 public elementary schools	95.5%	3														89.6	90.0	85.7	94.6						88.9				91.0	92.6	92.6	96.9					$11,337	$319	$11,017
Churchill Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	7100 Churchill Rd	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 288-8400	635	41	15.3	2.0%	266 (41.9%)	12 (1.9%)	59 (9.3%)	215 (33.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (12.6%)	94.3	7^th of 1111 public elementary schools	99.4%		93.6	12^th of 1110 public elementary schools	98.9%	5					100.0									98.1	99.1	95.2	91.3						92.9				97.1	95.4	92.0	97.9					$10,486	$262	$10,224
Cooper Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	977 Balls Hill Rd	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 442-5800	997	81	12.3	3.1%	478 (47.9%)	20 (2.0%)	75 (7.5%)	328 (32.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (9.5%)	85.9	18^th of 416 public middle schools	95.7%		86.7	15^th of 419 public middle schools	96.4%	3	100.0	99.3				100.0	96.7				100.0							65.9						91.9							95.3	95.4			$10,015	$270	$9,745
Sherman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6633 Brawner St	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 506-7900	290	26	11.1	7.9%	165 (56.9%)	9 (3.1%)	19 (6.6%)	71 (24.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (9.0%)	85.1	125^th of 1111 public elementary schools	88.7%		82.5	170^th of 1110 public elementary schools	84.7%	45														93.6	94.6	91.3	88.5						70.6				93.6	88.9	90.9	84.6					$13,033	$390	$12,643
Kent Gardens Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	1717 Melbourne Dr	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 394-5600	918	53	17.1	4.0%	491 (53.5%)	26 (2.8%)	71 (7.7%)	243 (26.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (9.4%)	95.6	4^th of 1111 public elementary schools	99.6%		94.5	7^th of 1110 public elementary schools	99.4%	3					100.0									99.2	97.5	100.0	95.2						97.5				95.2	97.4	95.6	97.5					$9,471	$236	$9,235
Langley High	Public	9-12	6520 Georgetown Pike	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 287-2700	2,181	123	17.7	4.4%	1,095 (50.2%)	50 (2.3%)	150 (6.9%)	705 (32.3%)	10 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	171 (7.8%)	82.4	13^th of 331 public high schools	96.1%		79.2	26^th of 328 public high schools	92.1%	13			99.3	66.7				95.7	73.3			99.1	83.3						77.3	96.5	81.8				62.5	76.9							97.5	61.5	$9,894	$225	$9,669
McLean High	Public	9-12	1633 Davidson Rd	McLean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 714-5700	2,428	180	13.5	13.0%	1,128 (46.5%)	107 (4.4%)	359 (14.8%)	653 (26.9%)	7 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	172 (7.1%)	74.2	62^nd of 331 public high schools	81.3%		76.1	48^th of 328 public high schools	85.4%	14			95.2	69.2				83.8	57.1	85.7		100.0	91.7						60.0	92.7	72.0	72.0				50.0							97.0	63.6	$9,943	$222	$9,722
Spring Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	8201 Lewinsville Rd	Mclean	22102	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 506-3400	980	57	17.0	11.1%	434 (44.3%)	25 (2.6%)	68 (6.9%)	361 (36.8%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (9.0%)	90.4	40^th of 1111 public elementary schools	96.4%		88.4	73^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	93.4%	33					100.0									93.7	91.4	87.1	89.9						89.2				89.9	90.6	94.1	93.9					$9,255	$131	$9,124

Cities Near McLean

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Arlington	1.89 mi	42	131^st
Alexandria	5.29 mi	63	284^th
Falls Church	5.73 mi	32	229^th
Annandale	8.85 mi	8	261^st
Vienna	9.13 mi	16	49^th

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.