Middle Schools in Isle of Wight County Public Schools

Isle of Wight County Public Schools in Virginia serves 1,615 students across three middle-level schools — Westside Elementary (grades 4-6), Smithfield Middle (grades 7-8), and Georgie D. Tyler Middle (grades 6-8) — within a district rated 14th out of 131 Virginia districts and carrying a 5-star rating.

If you are looking at school options, Smithfield Middle stands out academically: it ranks in the 93rd percentile of Virginia middle schools, up from the 69th percentile two years ago, with perfect Algebra I scores and strong 8th-grade reading and civics results. However, it also has the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 18.6%, above the state average. Westside Elementary, despite its name, serves as an entry-level middle school and posts excellent 4th- and 6th-grade math and reading scores, with the lowest absenteeism (12.4%) among the three. Georgie D. Tyler Middle serves a much higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (68.75% free/reduced lunch) and receives the highest per-pupil spending ($11,579) with the smallest class sizes, yet its 8th-grade math proficiency drops to 60% — well below the district’s 70.8% — even though its 7th-grade math is strong at 85.3%.

For parents, the key takeaway is that all three schools are part of a strong district, but each has distinct strengths and challenges. The grade-span overlap — Westside and Georgie D. Tyler both serve 6th grade, and Georgie D. Tyler and Smithfield both serve 7th and 8th — allows for direct comparison. Smithfield’s high academic ranking coexists with attendance concerns, while Georgie D. Tyler’s extra resources have not yet closed the gap in upper-level math. Westside’s younger grade span appears to support better attendance and foundational skills. Advanced math scores at both Smithfield and Georgie D. Tyler are perfect only because select students take Algebra I, so grade-level math scores are the more realistic measure of overall performance. These differences highlight how poverty, attendance, and school structure interact to shape outcomes in this district.