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Thoreau Middle

Q: Is Thoreau Middle a good school?

Thoreau Middle ranks 51 st of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

51^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 416 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 88% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Thoreau Middle School in Vienna, VA, serves 1,239 students in grades 7–8 as part of Fairfax County Public Schools, earning a 4-star rating and ranking 51st out of 416 Virginia middle schools. A moderate-income school relative to its immediate neighbors—18.8% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch—Thoreau pairs a low student-teacher ratio of 11.3 with per-student spending near $10,833, among the lowest in the region, yet produces outcomes that surpass several nearby schools that spend more, including Jackson Middle ($13,311) and Poe Middle ($15,516).

Thoreau's advanced math program is a standout: 100% of students passed 8th-grade Geometry and 7th-grade Algebra I SOLs, and 96.35% passed 8th-grade Algebra I, exceeding both district and state averages. Reading and science proficiency also run well above state averages, with 7th-grade reading at 88.96% and 8th-grade science at 83.41%. The school is particularly effective for specific student groups, ranking 7th in Virginia for multi-racial students, 6th for military-connected students, and 22nd for disabled students—a level of success that distinguishes it even among high-performing Vienna/McLean peers. Chronic absenteeism is a solid 10.5%, better than the district average, though it trails the best-in-region rates at Longfellow Middle (6.1%) and Williamsburg Middle (5.8%).

The school's main challenges center on equity and momentum. Hispanic, English Language Learner, and low-income students perform in the 51st–66th percentile statewide, a sharp contrast to the 91st–97th percentile rankings for other subgroups, and the low-income cohort dipped to the 29th percentile in 2024–25 before partially recovering. Standard 8th-grade math proficiency has declined from 59.63% to 37.96% over two years—even as advanced math holds steady—suggesting a widening two-track system. Thoreau's state ranking has plateaued in the 47–61 range over the past five years, while nearby Cooper Middle and Longfellow have climbed into the top 20–40, underscoring that this efficient, stable school has room to grow on its path back to elite status.

1,239

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,833

Per pupil spending ?

18.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2505 Cedar Ln
Vienna, VA 22180

(703) 846-8000

District: Fairfax County Public Schools

Students who attend Thoreau Middle usually attend:

High:

Madison High

Feeder schools for Thoreau Middle:

Elementary:	Archer Elementary
	Cunningham Park Elementary
	Flint Hill Elementary
	Marshall Road Elementary
	More...
	Mosaic Elementary
	Oakton Elementary
	Vienna Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.6%

Hispanic:

18.7%

Asian:

18.6%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Thoreau Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2016 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (85% vs 69% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of Virginia middle schools

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school85%

District avg77%

Virginia avg69%

51^st of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	78.7	51 of 416	87.7%	★★★★☆
2025	77.9	61 of 419	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	51 of 417	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	80.1	54 of 422	87.2%	★★★★☆
2022	79.0	47 of 415	88.7%	★★★★☆
2021	83.4	22 of 419	94.7%	★★★★★
2019	76.1	54 of 424	87.3%	★★★★☆
2018	81.8	23 of 413	94.4%	★★★★★
2017	81.3	33 of 415	92.0%	★★★★★
2016	83.0	23 of 409	94.4%	★★★★★
2015	85.2	18 of 412	95.6%	★★★★★
2014	87.4	16 of 416	96.2%	★★★★★
2013	90.0	7 of 416	98.3%	★★★★★
2012	88.0	3 of 413	99.3%	★★★★★
2011	89.2	2 of 413	99.5%	★★★★★
2010	88.1	5 of 408	98.8%	★★★★★
2009	86.3	5 of 390	98.7%	★★★★★
2008	86.6	5 of 391	98.7%	★★★★★
2007	87.0	3 of 387	99.2%	★★★★★
2006	89.0	7 of 383	98.2%	★★★★★
2005	87.8	9 of 340	97.4%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	78.0	45 of 297	84.8%	★★★★☆
2025	65.7	91 of 297	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.5	116 of 299	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.1	54 of 298	81.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	72.1	27 of 137	80.3%	★★★★☆
2025	69.8	30 of 136	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	70.5	22 of 128	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	61.4	55 of 132	58.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	86.6	22 of 292	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	84.8	24 of 281	91.5%	★★★★★
2023	89.2	18 of 278	93.5%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	54.8	46 of 134	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.5	60 of 135	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.3	20 of 122	83.6%	★★★★☆
2023	69.4	16 of 100	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	79.5	43 of 409	89.5%	★★★★☆
2025	78.2	47 of 403	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.0	41 of 407	89.9%	★★★★★
2023	80.4	46 of 411	88.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	53.3	132 of 283	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.3	129 of 279	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.8	104 of 272	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.7	106 of 275	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	51.2	197 of 401	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.2	286 of 403	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.2	223 of 402	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	77.0	65 of 410	84.1%	★★★★☆
2025	76.6	72 of 404	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	51 of 407	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	78.8	65 of 409	84.1%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	83.6	6 of 125	95.2%	★★★★★
2025	73.9	22 of 130	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	70.4	20 of 123	83.7%	★★★★☆
2023	66.2	30 of 114	73.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	86.4	7 of 249	97.2%	★★★★★
2025	79.9	20 of 244	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	82.5	19 of 237	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	85.5	15 of 231	93.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	78.6	35 of 400	91.3%	★★★★★
2025	78.9	35 of 400	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	81.8	25 of 396	93.7%	★★★★★
2023	78.1	46 of 402	88.6%	★★★★☆

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)97th percentile+9 vs school

Military Connected (2026)95th percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2026)92nd percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)91st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)89th percentile~ school

African American (2026)85th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)84th percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2026)80th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)66th percentile-22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)53rd percentile-34 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Geometry100%+3 vs state

Algebra I98%+3 vs state

English Reading88%+15 vs state

Science83%+19 vs state

Mathematics57%+8 vs state

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Schools Near Thoreau 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 World History I (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 7th 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 World History I 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Thoreau Middle	Public	7-8	2505 Cedar Ln	Vienna	22180	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 846-8000	1,239	109	11.3	18.8%	614 (49.6%)	67 (5.4%)	232 (18.7%)	231 (18.6%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (7.2%)	78.7	51^st of 416 public middle schools	87.7%		77.9	61^st of 419 public middle schools	85.4%	10	≥ 50%	100.0		100.0	96.4		567.0		67.5	38.0	83.4		89.0	87.0			$10,833	$276	$10,557
Kilmer Middle	Public	7-8	8100 Wolftrap Rd	Vienna	22182	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 846-8800	1,199	83	14.4		498 (41.5%)	71 (5.9%)	216 (18.0%)	312 (26.0%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (7.9%)	75.3	73^rd of 416 public middle schools	82.5%		73.4	96^th of 419 public middle schools	77.1%	23	525.0	100.0		100.0	97.8	≥ 50%	100.0		49.6	33.1	78.9		86.8	85.4			$10,274	$239	$10,035
Jackson Middle	Public	7-8	3020 Gallows Rd	Falls Church	22042	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 204-8100	991	76	13.0	52.9%	208 (21.0%)	50 (5.0%)	502 (50.7%)	172 (17.4%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	53 (5.3%)	31	325^th of 416 public middle schools	21.9%		37.7	289^th of 419 public middle schools	31.0%	36		100.0		97.9	72.7		100.0		11.2	19.2	66.3		59.0	67.8			$13,311	$262	$13,049
Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School	Public	6-8	105 Mustang Alley	Falls Church	22043	Fairfax County	Falls Church City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 720-5700	632	45	13.9	10.1%	398 (63.0%)	22 (3.5%)	77 (12.2%)	53 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	81 (12.8%)	87.6	14^th of 416 public middle schools	96.6%		87.8	11^th of 419 public middle schools	97.4%	3		100.0		100.0	100.0			87.0	80.8	83.5	86.9	92.2	93.1	91.8	94.4	90.1	$14,877	$247	$14,629
Longfellow Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	2000 Westmoreland St	Falls Church	22043	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 533-2600	1,226	116	10.5	10.6%	554 (45.2%)	43 (3.5%)	153 (12.5%)	366 (29.9%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	105 (8.6%)	81.8	35^th of 416 public middle schools	91.6%		83.6	30^th of 419 public middle schools	92.8%	5	100.0	100.0		100.0	94.4	558.0	100.0		39.7	≥ 50%	90.1		92.4	94.4			$10,736	$208	$10,528
Frost Middle	Public	7-8	4101 Pickett Rd	Fairfax	22032	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 426-5700	1,272	88	14.4	15.9%	600 (47.2%)	79 (6.2%)	177 (13.9%)	300 (23.6%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	110 (8.6%)	79	50^th of 416 public middle schools	88.0%		77.9	60^th of 419 public middle schools	85.7%	10	≥ 50%	100.0		100.0	93.1		100.0		68.6	38.7	85.6		92.2	88.7			$11,768	$280	$11,488
Johnson Middle	Public	7-8	3801 Jermantown Rd	Fairfax	22030	Fairfax city	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 934-2400	1,165	97	12.0	36.1%	399 (34.2%)	89 (7.6%)	303 (26.0%)	292 (25.1%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	77 (6.6%)	57.7	184^th of 416 public middle schools	55.8%		58.8	185^th of 419 public middle schools	55.8%	1		100.0		100.0	91.8		546.0		44.4	25.0	70.8		76.9	78.2			$12,307	$382	$11,925
Cooper Middle	Public, Magnet	7-8	977 Balls Hill Rd	Mclean	22101	Fairfax County	Fairfax County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(703) 442-5800	997	81	12.3	3.1%	478 (47.9%)	20 (2.0%)	75 (7.5%)	328 (32.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (9.5%)	85.9	18^th of 416 public middle schools	95.7%		86.7	15^th of 419 public middle schools	96.4%	3	100.0	99.3		100.0	96.7	≥ 50%	100.0		339.0	65.9	91.9		95.3	95.4			$10,015	$270	$9,745
Williamsburg Middle	Public	6-8	3600 N Harrison St	Arlington	22207	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-5450	856	57	15.1	2.8%	620 (72.4%)	20 (2.3%)	75 (8.8%)	39 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	102 (11.9%)	91.3	5^th of 416 public middle schools	98.8%		91.8	5^th of 419 public middle schools	98.8%		≥ 50%	100.0	≥ 50%	100.0	98.9			97.1	73.7	85.4	94.4	99.0	92.0	96.7		96.9	$13,381	$00	$13,381
Swanson Middle	Public	6-8	5800 Washington Blvd	Arlington	22205	Arlington County	Arlington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(703) 228-5500	993	70	14.1	19.9%	530 (53.4%)	64 (6.4%)	232 (23.4%)	80 (8.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (8.7%)	73.2	89^th of 416 public middle schools	78.6%		76.6	74^th of 419 public middle schools	82.3%	15		100.0		100.0	98.3		≥ 50%	73.2	35.8	56.3	80.5	85.6	78.0	84.8		83.3	$13,989	$04	$13,985

Frequently Asked Questions about Thoreau Middle

What is the racial makeup of Thoreau Middle?

Students at Thoreau Middle are 50% White, 19% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American.

How many students attend Thoreau Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,239 students attended Thoreau Middle.

What high school do graduates of Thoreau Middle attend?

Students who attend Thoreau Middle usually go on to attend Madison High

Is Thoreau Middle a good school?

Thoreau Middle ranks 51^st of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Thoreau 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.