Summary:
Radford City Public Schools is served by a single middle school, John N. Dalton Intermediate, which enrolls 265 students in grades 7–8 and operates within a small city district ranked 48th out of 131 divisions statewide.
As the only middle school in Radford City Public Schools, Dalton Intermediate effectively defines the entire middle school experience in the area. The school consistently earns a 4-star statewide rating and currently ranks 124th out of 416 Virginia middle schools, placing it in the 70th percentile. Its strongest asset is advanced coursework: 100% of students in 7th- and 8th-grade Algebra I, 8th-grade Geometry, and 8th-grade Earth Science met proficiency standards. Standard math classes also stand out, with 8th-grade math proficiency at 67.06% compared to 46.86% statewide, and 7th-grade math at 63.10% versus 51.11% statewide. These results are particularly notable given that 81.51% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, demonstrating that the school achieves above-average outcomes despite high economic disadvantage.
There are areas to watch. The school’s chronic absenteeism rate is 15.0%—double the district’s 7.4%—and this may be a factor in some uneven year-over-year results. Between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, 7th-grade math declined from 75.83% to 63.10% and 7th-grade reading dropped from 82.17% to 75.41%, while 8th-grade reading improved to 83.20%. The school is essentially at the state average in 8th-grade science (64.76% vs. 64.72%) and barely above the state in civics (75.81% vs. 74.74%), though it trails its own district averages in those subjects. While the school’s statewide rank slipped from 103rd to 124th, it remains a strong, above-average option for Radford families, with exceptional advanced math and science offerings and a track record of beating state expectations in core subjects.
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