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Sandburg Middle

Q: Is Sandburg Middle a good school?

Sandburg Middle ranks 282 nd of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 7-8

282^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 416 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 32% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Sandburg Middle is a large 7th–8th grade middle school in Alexandria, VA, serving 1,401 students as part of Fairfax County Public Schools, a district ranked in the 70th percentile across Virginia. Despite its location in a relatively affluent corridor, the school serves a notably diverse population, with approximately half of students (50.0%) qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Statewide, Sandburg ranks in the lower-middle tier of Virginia middle schools, placing 282nd out of 416 schools (32nd percentile, 2 stars) in 2025–2026.

The school presents a sharply split academic profile. It excels in advanced mathematics: 7th-grade Algebra I proficiency reached 100% and 8th-grade Geometry hit 96.3%, on par with Irving Middle, a nearby school that ranks 49th statewide (88th percentile). However, grade-level math tells a very different story. Only 25.3% of 7th graders and 22.0% of 8th graders are proficient in on-grade-level math—roughly half the district average. Reading proficiency (72.8–75.7%) sits close to state averages but below district levels, while science (62.3%) is slightly below both. This bifurcation suggests the school's advanced math track serves some students exceptionally well, but the majority in standard math classes may not be receiving the same level of support.

Sandburg's challenges extend beyond academics. Chronic absenteeism, while improved from 20.6% to 14.9% in the most recent year, still exceeds the district rate of 11.9%. The school also spends less per student ($11,292) than nearby schools like Whitman Middle ($13,641), Key Middle ($14,866), and Poe Middle ($15,516)—yet Sandburg outperforms Poe, which ranks 398th, and posts results similar to Whitman, which has a higher poverty rate (67.8%) and ranks 301st. The most encouraging signs are the strong performance of military-connected students and improving attendance, but significant achievement gaps between the school's highest- and lowest-performing student groups—including economically disadvantaged students and English language learners—remain its defining challenge.

1,401

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,292

Per pupil spending ?

50%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8428 Fort Hunt Rd
Alexandria, VA 22308

(703) 799-6100

District: Fairfax County Public Schools

Students who attend Sandburg Middle usually attend:

High:

West Potomac High

Feeder schools for Sandburg Middle:

Elementary:	Belle View Elementary
	Bucknell Elementary
	Fort Hunt Elementary
	Groveton Elementary
	More...
	Hollin Meadows Elementary
	Hybla Valley Elementary
	Stratford Landing Elementary
	Waynewood Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

40.4%

White:

31.3%

African American:

17.8%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Sandburg Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2016 → 32nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg77%

Virginia avg69%

282^nd of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 23Middle Schools in the Fairfax County Public Schools

39^th of 131Fairfax County Public Schools among Virginia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	42.2	282 of 416	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.9	244 of 419	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.7	301 of 417	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.4	288 of 422	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	237 of 415	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.4	161 of 419	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.5	243 of 424	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.5	302 of 413	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	40.8	270 of 415	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.6	277 of 409	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.2	294 of 412	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	50.5	198 of 416	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.1	152 of 416	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	46.8	230 of 413	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.1	203 of 413	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	29.0	338 of 408	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	21.2	353 of 390	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	40.5	263 of 391	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	33.5	313 of 387	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	46.6	217 of 383	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	62.6	133 of 340	60.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.1	182 of 297	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.2	168 of 297	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	194 of 299	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	210 of 298	29.5%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	101 of 137	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.7	116 of 136	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.6	82 of 128	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.1	87 of 132	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	48.3	136 of 292	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.3	165 of 281	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.0	166 of 278	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	31.1	97 of 134	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.8	85 of 135	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.3	102 of 122	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	95 of 100	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	299 of 409	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.9	261 of 403	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.0	291 of 407	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.6	307 of 411	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	228 of 283	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.4	225 of 279	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	241 of 272	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	265 of 275	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	316 of 401	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.8	315 of 403	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	349 of 402	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.8	245 of 410	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.8	221 of 404	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.0	296 of 407	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.8	265 of 409	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	70.1	35 of 125	72.0%	★★★★☆
2025	74.3	21 of 130	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	68.2	24 of 123	80.5%	★★★★☆
2023	71.5	22 of 114	80.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	76.9	31 of 249	87.6%	★★★★☆
2025	80.6	19 of 244	92.2%	★★★★★
2024	65.3	72 of 237	69.6%	★★★★☆
2023	51.2	107 of 231	53.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	70.9	88 of 400	78.0%	★★★★☆
2025	81.1	27 of 400	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	67.4	111 of 396	72.0%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	97 of 402	75.9%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Multi-racial (2026)88th percentile+55 vs school

White (2026)78th percentile+46 vs school

Military Connected (2026)72nd percentile+40 vs school

Disabled (2026)53rd percentile+21 vs school

Male (2026)40th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2026)39th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)28th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)27th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2026)26th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)19th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Geometry96%~ state avg

Algebra I90%-5 vs state

English Reading74%~ state avg

Science62%~ state avg

Mathematics24%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sandburg Middle

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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 Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (2026)			SOL Civics and Economics (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 Algebra I 6th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra II 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sandburg Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	8428 Fort Hunt Rd	Alexandria	22308	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 799-6100	1,401	97	14.3	50.0%	439 (31.3%)	249 (17.8%)	566 (40.4%)	74 (5.3%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	68 (4.9%)	42.2	282^nd of 416 public middle schools	32.2%		45.9	244^th of 419 public middle schools	41.8%	38		96.3		100.0	86.3			25.3	22.0	62.3		75.7	72.8			$11,292	$280	$11,012
Whitman Middle	Public	7-8	2500 Parkers Ln	Alexandria	22306	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 660-2400	828	59	14.0	67.8%	132 (15.9%)	186 (22.5%)	430 (51.9%)	37 (4.5%)	6 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	34 (4.1%)	37.1	301^st of 416 public middle schools	27.6%		29.6	326^th of 419 public middle schools	22.2%	25		95.2		100.0	97.9			23.8	27.3	59.3		66.8	67.0			$13,641	$493	$13,148
Twain Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	4700 Franconia Rd	Alexandria	22310	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 313-3700	1,026	84	12.1	35.3%	323 (31.5%)	172 (16.8%)	319 (31.1%)	136 (13.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (6.9%)	58.8	180^th of 416 public middle schools	56.7%		63.6	154^th of 419 public middle schools	63.2%	26		100.0		100.0	91.6	≥ 50%		51.6	36.7	68.4		81.3	76.3			$13,239	$334	$12,905
George Washington Middle	Public	6-8	1005 Mount Vernon Avenue	Alexandria	22301	Alexandria city	Alexandria City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 706-4500	1,458	103	14.1	45.6%	538 (36.9%)	227 (15.6%)	591 (40.5%)	33 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	65 (4.5%)	48.6	239^th of 416 public middle schools	42.5%		40.7	275^th of 419 public middle schools	34.4%	36	≥ 50%	100.0		99.0	93.6		61.8	54.6	22.5	66.4	68.4	71.6	74.1		76.7	$14,651	$11	$14,639
Key Middle	Public	7-8	6402 Franconia Rd	Springfield	22150	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 313-3900	700	64	10.9	74.9%	96 (13.7%)	50 (7.1%)	410 (58.6%)	115 (16.4%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (3.3%)	23.9	356^th of 416 public middle schools	14.4%		20.1	370^th of 419 public middle schools	11.7%	14		95.0		100.0	89.6			7.9	16.2	56.2		61.3	60.0			$14,866	$408	$14,458
Francis C. Hammond Middle	Public	6-8	4646 Seminary Road	Alexandria	22304	Alexandria city	Alexandria City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(703) 461-4100	1,597	120	13.3	83.8%	274 (17.2%)	423 (26.5%)	644 (40.3%)	186 (11.6%)	5 (0.3%)	7 (0.4%)	58 (3.6%)	17.9	372^nd of 416 public middle schools	10.6%		9.8	396^th of 419 public middle schools	5.5%	24		100.0		95.0	89.8		43.3	42.2	24.1	45.3	54.6	54.6	49.1		72.1	$13,351	$481	$12,871
Holmes Middle	Public	6-8	6525 Montrose St	Alexandria	22312	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 658-5900	881	81	10.9	72.0%	162 (18.4%)	162 (18.4%)	398 (45.2%)	130 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (3.2%)	25.9	347^th of 416 public middle schools	16.6%		22.9	356^th of 419 public middle schools	15.0%	9		100.0	≥ 50%	100.0	96.3		25.6	2.5	16.2	57.8	59.5	59.6	64.4			$14,180	$330	$13,850
Gunston Middle	Public	6-8	2700 S Lang St	Arlington	22206	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-6900	1,072	69	15.5	32.0%	344 (32.1%)	163 (15.2%)	405 (37.8%)	68 (6.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	90 (8.4%)	58.6	181^st of 416 public middle schools	56.5%		61.1	168^th of 419 public middle schools	59.9%	13		100.0		100.0	98.3		50.0	47.2	51.3	71.2	75.6	78.6	81.2	75.2		$14,879	$71	$14,808
Glasgow Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	4101 Fairfax Pkwy	Alexandria	22312	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 813-8700	1,702	123	13.8	85.8%	351 (20.6%)	152 (8.9%)	941 (55.3%)	209 (12.3%)	6 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	41 (2.4%)	18.5	371^st of 416 public middle schools	10.8%		16.4	383^rd of 419 public middle schools	8.6%	12		100.0	100.0	100.0	97.7	≥ 50%	29.4	19.7	18.1	51.4	55.3	60.1	57.0			$12,567	$803	$11,764
Poe Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	7000 Cindy Ln	Annandale	22003	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(703) 813-3800	879	74	11.9	76.8%	84 (9.6%)	64 (7.3%)	608 (69.2%)	105 (11.9%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.7%)	8.8	398^th of 416 public middle schools	4.3%		10.2	393^rd of 419 public middle schools	6.2%	5		501.0		100.0	81.7		28.7	19.3	11.2	53.1	48.1	49.3	51.9			$15,516	$1,406	$14,110

Frequently Asked Questions about Sandburg Middle

Is Sandburg Middle a good school?

Sandburg Middle ranks 282^nd of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Sandburg Middle attend?

Students who attend Sandburg Middle usually go on to attend West Potomac High

What is the racial makeup of Sandburg Middle?

Students at Sandburg Middle are 40% Hispanic, 31% White, 18% African American, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Sandburg Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,401 students attended Sandburg Middle.

What district is Sandburg Middle in?

Fairfax County Public Schools

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataFeb 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 6, 2026

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.