1. Home
  2. Virginia
  3. Lovingston
  4. Nelson County Public Schools
  5. Nelson County High
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Nelson County High

Public Grades 9-12
119th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 331 Virginia High Schools
Better than 64% of Virginia high schools
Summary

Nelson County High is a small public high school in Lovingston, Virginia, serving 486 students in grades 9–12 as part of Nelson County Public Schools, a district ranked 33rd out of 131 Virginia districts with 4 stars. The school itself ranks 119th out of 331 Virginia high schools for the 2025–2026 school year, placing it in the 64th percentile. Despite serving a high-poverty population — 83.33% of students qualified for free/reduced lunch — the school posts strong outcomes with a favorable 10.4:1 student-teacher ratio and above-average per-pupil spending of $17,393.

Compared to Amherst County High, located about 14 miles away, Nelson County High is performing far better. Amherst ranks near the bottom of Virginia high schools (304th out of 331), while Nelson sits in the upper third. Nelson's chronic absenteeism rate has fallen dramatically from 37.4% in 2021–2022 to 14.8% in 2024–2025 — exactly matching the state average and well below Amherst's 28.0%. In core academics, Nelson students meet or exceed state proficiency rates in Algebra I, 11th-grade English Reading, and 10th-grade Biology, and they score well above Amherst in most subjects.

The school's most notable strengths include support for disabled students (ranked in the 87th percentile statewide) and low-income students (76th percentile). The graduation rate is strong at 92.8%, just above the state's 92.3%. Still, some weak spots remain: 11th-grade VA & US History proficiency was just 22.22% in 2023–2024, and 9th-grade Biology dipped to 75.93% in 2025–2026. With a student body this size, year-to-year test scores can shift significantly, and female students (49th percentile) currently lag behind male students (69th percentile) in statewide rankings. Overall, Nelson County High stands out as a school doing more with less, especially when compared directly to its nearest comparable neighbor.

486
Students ?
10.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$17,393
Per pupil spending ?
83.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 6919 Thomas Nelson Hwy
       Lovingston, VA  22949

(434) 263-8317

District: Nelson County Public Schools


Feeder schools for Nelson County High:

Elementary:    Rockfish River Elementary
    Tye River Elementary
Middle:    Nelson Middle
Racial breakdown:

White:
69.5%
African American:
14.0%
Hispanic:
11.3%
more
 See top rated Virginia high schools

 Compare Nelson County High to nearby high schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 71st percentile in 2023 → 64th in 2026
Strengths
✓Above the Virginia median (64th percentile)
✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped from its 71st-percentile peak (2023) to 64th (2026)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school83%
District avg83%
Virginia avg81%
119th of 331
Virginia public high schools ?
Top 36%▲ up 15 pts since 2016
From bottom 49% (2016) to top 36% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Virginia High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
33rd of 131Nelson 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202664.0119 of 33164.0%★★★☆☆
202567.2107 of 32867.4%★★★☆☆
202468.098 of 32970.2%★★★★☆
202369.093 of 32671.5%★★★★☆
202244.6191 of 32541.2%★★☆☆☆
202135.9219 of 32733.0%★★☆☆☆
201949.8162 of 32750.5%★★★☆☆
201848.9165 of 32649.4%★★★☆☆
201751.3148 of 32454.3%★★★☆☆
201648.6165 of 32148.6%★★☆☆☆
201541.8197 of 32238.8%★★☆☆☆
201449.4151 of 32253.1%★★★☆☆
201361.877 of 32176.0%★★★★☆
201259.693 of 32171.0%★★★★☆
201167.659 of 32081.6%★★★★☆
201058.7101 of 31768.1%★★★☆☆
200951.2142 of 31354.6%★★★☆☆
200855.6122 of 31661.4%★★★☆☆
200737.0238 of 31324.0%★☆☆☆☆
200632.0255 of 31418.8%★☆☆☆☆
200537.7236 of 30823.4%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202657.695 of 24260.7%★★★☆☆
202542.0162 of 24533.9%★★☆☆☆
202468.362 of 24975.1%★★★★☆
202382.121 of 24091.3%★★★★★

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202676.632 of 25287.3%★★★★☆
202477.136 of 25385.8%★★★★☆
202375.830 of 24988.0%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202656.3164 of 32249.1%★★☆☆☆
202563.6123 of 32161.7%★★★☆☆
202454.7172 of 32246.6%★★☆☆☆
202367.095 of 32070.3%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202659.195 of 24260.7%★★★☆☆
202562.278 of 23666.9%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202668.176 of 32176.3%★★★★☆
202563.5110 of 32466.0%★★★☆☆
202471.660 of 32081.3%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202666.2101 of 32568.9%★★★☆☆
202566.5103 of 32268.0%★★★☆☆
202480.825 of 32292.2%★★★★★
202368.097 of 32169.8%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankVirginia percentileRating
202659.5134 of 31257.1%★★★☆☆
202556.0158 of 31349.5%★★★☆☆
202458.5135 of 31457.0%★★★☆☆
202354.1166 of 31547.3%★★☆☆☆
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)87th percentile+23 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)76th percentile+12 vs school
Male (2026)69th percentile+5 vs school
African American (2026)61st percentile-3 vs school
Hispanic (2026)61st percentile-3 vs school
White (2026)57th percentile-7 vs school
Female (2026)49th percentile-15 vs school
By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?
Algebra II100%+6 vs state
English Reading93%+5 vs state
Algebra I84%+5 vs state
Biology78%~ state avg
World History I74%~ state avg

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Nelson County High and help other families decide.
Rate Nelson County High
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.


Schools Near Nelson County High

Sort
Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private





Frequently Asked Questions about Nelson County High

Nelson County High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Rockfish River Elementary
Elementary : Tye River Elementary
Middle : Nelson Middle

Students at Nelson County High are 70% White, 14% African American, 11% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

Nelson County High ranks 119th of 331 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 486 students attended Nelson County High.

Rate Nelson County High!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

VAVirginia High School Rankings

VAVirginia District Rankings

Schools in Lovingston, VA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Nelson County High!


Latest Virginia data All new data »
2025–26 SOL test scoresNewAug 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.

Diagnostics