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Dryden Elementary

Q: Is Dryden Elementary a good school?

Dryden Elementary ranks 671 st of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

671^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Dryden Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-4 in Dryden, VA, part of the Lee County Public Schools district. With 255 students, Dryden Elementary faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with a very high percentage of students from low-income backgrounds.

Dryden Elementary has shown mixed performance on state assessments, outperforming the district and state in some areas but underperforming in others. For example, the school's 3rd grade math proficiency was higher than the district but lower than the state, while its 4th grade reading proficiency was higher than both the district and state. However, the school has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, which is significantly higher than nearby schools like Flatwoods Elementary and St. Charles Elementary.

When compared to its peers, Dryden Elementary generally lags behind in terms of academic performance, student-teacher ratio, and per-student spending. This suggests the school may need additional resources and support to improve its educational outcomes. Targeted interventions to address attendance and learning challenges, as well as increased funding and smaller class sizes, could help Dryden Elementary better serve its students from low-income backgrounds and provide a more equitable educational experience.

237

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,610

Per pupil spending ?

86.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

176 School House Ridge Road
Dryden, VA 24243

(276) 546-4443

District: Lee County Public Schools

Students who attend Dryden Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Elydale Middle
	Jonesville Middle
	Pennington Middle
High:	Lee High
	Thomas Walker High

Racial breakdown:

White:

97.9%

Hispanic:

1.3%

Two or more races:

0.8%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Dryden Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 69th percentile in 2018 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 69th-percentile peak (2018) to 40th (2025)

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

!VA Studies scores 13 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg70%

Virginia avg71%

671^st of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 33% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Lee County Public Schools

53^rd of 129Lee 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
2025	44.5	671 of 1110	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.6	581 of 1114	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.7	541 of 1114	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.6	424 of 1109	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.0	723 of 1103	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.1	528 of 1105	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.2	339 of 1097	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.3	435 of 1099	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	47.5	663 of 1096	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.5	740 of 1100	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	22.0	987 of 1110	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	20.4	999 of 1120	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.1	984 of 1117	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	9.3	1090 of 1117	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	34.4	908 of 1113	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	46.8	666 of 1082	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	23.4	970 of 1081	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	64.0	388 of 1083	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.0	519 of 1071	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	69.6	279 of 1062	73.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	553 of 1096	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.9	501 of 1098	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	530 of 1100	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	65.6	317 of 1046	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.0	95 of 1036	90.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	519 of 1093	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.2	620 of 1101	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.9	565 of 1093	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	21.2	843 of 973	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.2	753 of 979	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.1	743 of 984	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile+30 vs school

Male (2025)53rd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)50th percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)13th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

English Reading77%+7 vs state

Mathematics66%-7 vs state

VA Studies56%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dryden Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)		SOL English Reading (2025)		SOL VA Studies (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dryden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	176 School House Ridge Road	Dryden	24243	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 546-4443	237	21	11.2	86.1%	232 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	44.5	671^st of 1110 public elementary schools	39.5%		52.6	581^st of 1114 public elementary schools	47.8%	90	70.3	63.0	81.1	73.3	55.6	$9,610	$1,316	$8,293
Elk Knob Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	148 Hornet Loop	Pennington Gap	24277	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 546-1837	291	24	12.2	87.6%	281 (96.6%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	46.5	649^th of 1110 public elementary schools	41.5%		58.1	509^th of 1114 public elementary schools	54.3%	140	62.8	76.9	58.8	73.1	74.5	$9,441	$1,568	$7,873
St. Charles Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	2434 St. Charles Road	Saint Charles	24282	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 383-4531	110	12	9.5	82.7%	106 (96.4%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	78.5	239^th of 1110 public elementary schools	78.5%		84.6	127^th of 1114 public elementary schools	88.6%	112	75.0	81.0	81.3	90.5	95.2	$13,624	$2,592	$11,032
Duffield-Pattonsville Primary	Public	PK, KG-4	663 Duffield-Pattonsville High	Duffield	24244	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 431-2244	308	21	14.8	70.1%	286 (92.9%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	73.2	306^th of 1110 public elementary schools	72.4%		48.1	639^th of 1114 public elementary schools	42.6%	333	81.0	83.3	88.1	79.6	75.9	$8,410	$1,357	$7,053
Union Primary	Public	PK, KG-4	2945 Second Avenue East	Big Stone Gap	24219	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 523-4900	809	61	13.2	90.1%	721 (89.1%)	29 (3.6%)	11 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (5.8%)	86.7	92^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	91.7%		88.7	60^th of 1114 public elementary schools	94.6%	32	87.3	91.1	83.5	94.1	88.2	$8,340	$916	$7,424
Flatwoods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	205 Flatwoods School Road	Jonesville	24263	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 346-2799	336	24	14.0	84.2%	328 (97.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	50.4	594^th of 1110 public elementary schools	46.5%		61.4	473^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	57.5%	121	73.2	67.3	69.6	72.7	70.9	$9,644	$1,347	$8,297

Frequently Asked Questions about Dryden Elementary

Is Dryden Elementary a good school?

Dryden Elementary ranks 671^st of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Dryden Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dryden Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Elydale Middle
Middle : Jonesville Middle
Middle : Pennington Middle
High : Lee High
High : Thomas Walker High

How many students attend Dryden Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 237 students attended Dryden Elementary.

What district is Dryden Elementary in?

Lee County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Dryden Elementary?

Students at Dryden Elementary are 98% White, 1% Hispanic.

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Schools in Dryden, VA

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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.