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Pennington Middle

Q: Is Pennington Middle a good school?

Pennington Middle ranks 149 th of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Pennington Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 278 students attended Pennington Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Pennington Middle?

Students at Pennington Middle are 97% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Pennington Middle attend?

Students who attend Pennington Middle usually go on to attend Lee High

Public Grades 6-8

149^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 416 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 64% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Pennington Middle serves 278 students in grades 6–8 in Pennington Gap, VA, a small town in the far southwestern corner of Virginia near the Kentucky and Tennessee borders. It is part of Lee County Public Schools, a district ranked 63rd out of 131 districts in Virginia. For 2025–2026, Pennington Middle ranks 149th out of 416 Virginia middle schools, placing it in the 64th percentile with a 3-star rating. Nearly every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced lunch (99.64% in 2024–2025), yet the school posts academic results that are often above state averages.

Math is Pennington Middle's signature strength. In 2025–2026, 7th-grade math proficiency was 85.88%, far above the 51.11% state average and ahead of both Jonesville Middle (68.35%) and Union Middle (80.00%). Eighth-grade math proficiency reached 78.13% compared to 46.86% statewide, and Algebra I proficiency hit 100%. The school also earns exceptional marks for high-need subgroups: low-income students rank in the 90th percentile among Virginia schools, and disabled students rank in the 96th percentile. These results show a school that is getting strong outcomes for students who often face the biggest challenges.

Attendance is another standout. Pennington Middle's chronic absenteeism rate is just 1.1%, compared to 7.9% for Lee County, 14.8% statewide, and 20.0% at Union Middle. The school also maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 9.1, one of the best among nearby middle schools. Reading and civics remain relative weaknesses: 8th-grade reading is 69.51% versus 73.51% statewide, and civics is 66.67% versus 70.10% — below both the state and Rye Cove Intermediate. Still, the school's overall trajectory is strongly upward: it has climbed from the 26th percentile in 2016–2017 to the 64th percentile today.

278

Students ?

9.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,496

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

121 Bobcat Circle
Pennington Gap, VA 24277

(276) 546-1453

District: Lee County Public Schools

Students who attend Pennington Middle usually attend:

High:	Lee High
	Thomas Walker High

Feeder schools for Pennington Middle:

Elementary:	Dryden Elementary
	Elk Knob Elementary
	Flatwoods Elementary
	Rose Hill Elementary
	More...
	St. Charles Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.8%

African American:

1.4%

Two or more races:

1.1%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Pennington Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2016 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (75% vs 68% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 40 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Virginia median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school75%

District avg72%

Virginia avg68%

149^th of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 40 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to top 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Lee County Public Schools

63^rd of 131Lee 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	63.0	149 of 416	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.9	189 of 419	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.4	175 of 417	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.3	220 of 422	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.6	197 of 415	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	144 of 419	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.3	138 of 424	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.9	253 of 413	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	33.5	306 of 415	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.3	312 of 409	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.4	266 of 412	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	57.0	144 of 416	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	39.6	259 of 416	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.4	176 of 413	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	44.6	249 of 413	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.7	233 of 408	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.0	142 of 390	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	76.7	30 of 391	92.3%	★★★★★
2007	48.2	209 of 387	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	56.9	144 of 383	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	37.7	259 of 340	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	90.3	12 of 292	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	77.9	45 of 281	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	61.5	161 of 409	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.4	226 of 403	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.1	166 of 407	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.3	244 of 411	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	83.1	39 of 401	90.3%	★★★★★
2025	72.0	80 of 403	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	62 of 402	84.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	62.4	143 of 410	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.0	136 of 404	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	171 of 407	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.2	204 of 409	50.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	239 of 400	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.8	270 of 400	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.6	247 of 396	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	307 of 402	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2026)96th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)90th percentile+26 vs school

Male (2026)65th percentile~ school

Female (2026)61st percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)40th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I100%+7 vs state

World History I100%+18 vs state

Mathematics79%+24 vs state

English Reading73%~ state avg

Science70%+5 vs state

Civics and Economics67%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pennington 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 Algebra I (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 Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th 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	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pennington Middle	Public	6-8	121 Bobcat Circle	Pennington Gap	24277	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 546-1453	278	31	9.1	99.6%	269 (96.8%)	4 (1.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	63	149^th of 416 public middle schools	64.2%		57.9	189^th of 419 public middle schools	54.9%	40		100.0		73.4	85.9	78.1		69.5		77.2	71.8	69.5	100.0	66.7	< 50%	$11,496	$2,149	$9,347
Jonesville Middle	Public	6-8	160 Bulldog Circle	Jonesville	24263	Lee County	Lee County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 346-1011	231	22	10.6	100.0%	219 (94.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.9%)	53.6	213^th of 416 public middle schools	48.8%		59.7	178^th of 419 public middle schools	57.5%	35	≥ 50%	100.0		68.5	68.4	53.2		57.6		75.3	70.9	78.8		60.8		$11,344	$2,075	$9,269
Union Middle	Public	5-8	3137 Second Avenue East	Big Stone Gap	24219	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 523-0195	561	46	12.0	93.8%	522 (93.0%)	10 (1.8%)	13 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	14 (2.5%)	82.3	30^th of 416 public middle schools	92.8%		79.8	48^th of 419 public middle schools	88.5%	18		100.0	89.9	78.1	80.0	51.7	81.3	77.5	81.5	89.8	88.7	82.5		92.4		$9,209	$472	$8,737
Rye Cove Intermediate	Public	5-7	158 Memorial School Lane	Clinchport	24244	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 940-2322	138	15	9.3	79.0%	122 (88.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.3%)	61	158^th of 416 public middle schools	62.0%		64.3	147^th of 419 public middle schools	64.9%	11			80.7	69.1	81.8		64.9		66.7	73.8	75.0			70.5		$11,149	$1,169	$9,980

Frequently Asked Questions about Pennington Middle

Is Pennington Middle a good school?

Pennington Middle ranks 149^th of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Pennington Middle in?

Lee County Public Schools

How many students attend Pennington Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 278 students attended Pennington Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Pennington Middle?

Students at Pennington Middle are 97% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Pennington Middle attend?

Students who attend Pennington Middle usually go on to attend Lee High

Rate Pennington Middle!

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VAVirginia Middle School Rankings

VAVirginia District Rankings

Schools in Pennington Gap, VA

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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.