James S. Russell Middle

James S. Russell Middle is a small middle school in Lawrenceville, Virginia, serving grades 7–8 with 288 students as part of Brunswick County Public Schools, where nearly all students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. In 2025–26, the school ranked 296th of 416 Virginia middle schools (29th percentile, 1 star), a substantial improvement from its pandemic-era low of 410th of 419 in 2020–21 and a steady climb from 382nd as recently as 2022–23.

Mathematics has become a clear strength. Eighth-grade math proficiency reached 54.43% in 2025–26, above the Virginia average of 46.86%, and Algebra I proficiency jumped from 60% in 2022–23 to a perfect 100%. Seventh-grade math also sits slightly above the state average. Reading is solid too, with 71.25% of 7th graders proficient compared to 60.87% at nearby Edward W. Wyatt Middle. The school also earns 3 stars for its effectiveness with African American students, ranking in the 66th percentile among Virginia schools serving comparable populations.

Russell has overtaken its nearest comparable school, Edward W. Wyatt Middle in Emporia, which fell to 349th while Russell climbed to 296th. That is especially notable given Russell spends about $5,700 less per student ($11,761 vs. $17,436) and has a larger student-teacher ratio (14.7 vs. 10.1), yet still beats Wyatt in Algebra I, 8th-grade math, 7th-grade reading, and civics. Chronic absenteeism has dropped dramatically from 40.1% to 14.9%, nearly matching the state average. The most urgent areas for improvement are science and civics, which lag state averages by 10 and 18 points respectively, along with extra support for female students, who are the lowest-performing subgroup relative to statewide peers.