Middle Schools in Alexandria City Public Schools

Alexandria City Public Schools is home to two middle schools—Francis C. Hammond Middle and George Washington Middle—both serving grades 6–8 in a district ranked 103rd out of 131 Virginia school divisions. Alexandria City Public Schools faces real challenges, but the two schools tell very different stories.

George Washington Middle is the clear academic leader, ranking 239th out of 416 Virginia middle schools (43rd percentile) and improving sharply over the past two years. It posts strong reading and science scores that meet or exceed state averages, and its advanced math results are excellent—100% proficient in 8th grade Geometry and 99% in 7th grade Algebra I. With 45.6% of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch and only 8.4% chronic absenteeism, GW is a relatively stable, higher-income school. In contrast, Francis C. Hammond Middle ranks 372nd (11th percentile) and serves a much higher-need population: 83.8% of students qualify for free/reduced-price lunch. Hammond trails GW by 13–25 points in reading and 12–18 points in grade-level math, and both schools are far below the state average in 8th grade math (around 22–24% proficient versus 46.9% statewide).

A surprising bright spot is advanced math: both schools achieve near-perfect proficiency in Algebra I and Geometry, including 100% in 8th grade Geometry at both schools. Hammond’s 8th grade Algebra I proficiency jumped from 73% to 90% in one year. However, a major equity concern stands out: Hammond spends about $1,300 less per student ($13,351) than GW ($14,651), despite serving far more economically disadvantaged students. Smaller class sizes at Hammond (13.3 to 1) have not closed the achievement gap, and chronic absenteeism at both schools is actually better than the state average. For parents, the takeaway is clear: GW is the stronger overall choice academically, but Hammond offers excellent accelerated math programs and is showing modest signs of improvement—though targeted funding could help it close a persistent and troubling gap.