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Churchland Middle

Public Grades 7-8

351^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 416 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 16% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Churchland Middle serves 798 students in grades 7–8 in Portsmouth, VA, operating in a high-poverty community within the Portsmouth City Public Schools district. Despite these challenges, Churchland is the strongest of Portsmouth's three middle schools, ranking 351st of 416 Virginia middle schools — well ahead of William E. Waters Middle (385th) and Cradock Middle (390th). The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% statewide over the past decade, though recent trends are modestly positive, with its percentile improving from 13th to 16th.

Several genuine bright spots stand out. Chronic absenteeism has collapsed from 32.1% in 2021–2022 to 14.4% in 2024–2025 — now equal to the state average and far better than Waters (18.6%) or Cradock (18.8%). The school also excels in advanced math: 8th-grade Geometry proficiency is 97.73% and Algebra I proficiency exceeds 91%, nearly matching state averages. Reading and civics are relative strengths, with Churchland outperforming the Portsmouth district average in most subjects despite essentially all of its students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school achieves these results while spending less per student ($10,307) than its same-district peers.

The most urgent concern is on-grade math. Only 23.93% of 7th graders and 23.76% of 8th graders are proficient in grade-level math — roughly 25 points below state averages and actually behind Waters and Cradock. The gap with neighboring districts is stark: nearby Jolliff Middle posts 74.66% math proficiency and Western Branch Middle 66.04%, while John Yeates Middle reaches 58.23%. Still, Churchland's rapid attendance gains and standout subgroup results — Hispanic students ranked at the 72nd percentile statewide — show that targeted efforts can have meaningful impact.

798

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,307

Per pupil spending ?

100.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4051 River Shore Rd
Portsmouth, VA 23703-2001

(757) 686-2512

District: Portsmouth City Public Schools

Students who attend Churchland Middle usually attend:

High:

Churchland High

Feeder schools for Churchland Middle:

Elementary:	Churchland Academy Elementary
	Churchland Elementary
	Churchland Primary & Intermediate
	Park View Elementary
	More...
	Waterview Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

69.5%

White:

15.3%

Hispanic:

7.0%

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Compare Churchland Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2016 → 16th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (58% vs 70% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg52%

Virginia avg70%

351^st of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle Schools in the Portsmouth City Public Schools

114^th of 131Portsmouth City 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	24.6	351 of 416	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.0	365 of 419	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	356 of 417	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	337 of 422	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	346 of 415	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.0	209 of 419	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.2	321 of 424	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	342 of 413	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.4	364 of 415	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.8	378 of 409	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	13.0	381 of 412	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	22.9	341 of 416	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.2	369 of 416	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.3	379 of 413	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	16.5	385 of 413	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	16.9	390 of 408	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	11.3	380 of 390	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	41.2	259 of 391	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	36.2	306 of 387	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.4	347 of 383	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	18.8	328 of 340	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	217 of 297	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.9	230 of 297	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	230 of 299	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.9	205 of 298	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	19.4	251 of 292	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.8	212 of 281	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.6	175 of 278	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	323 of 409	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.7	366 of 403	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	354 of 407	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	316 of 411	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	66.8	79 of 283	72.1%	★★★★☆
2025	73.7	60 of 279	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	60.8	93 of 272	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.8	120 of 275	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	26.3	327 of 403	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.9	328 of 402	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	20.5	363 of 410	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.1	327 of 404	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	348 of 407	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	332 of 409	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	101 of 125	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.5	93 of 130	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	123 of 123	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	104 of 114	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	200 of 249	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.2	200 of 244	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.8	99 of 237	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	101 of 231	56.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	37.6	289 of 400	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.9	358 of 400	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.2	286 of 396	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	53.1	194 of 402	51.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)72nd percentile+56 vs school

White (2026)28th percentile+12 vs school

African American (2026)27th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)20th percentile+4 vs school

Military Connected (2026)19th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile+6 vs school

Disabled (2026)14th percentile~ school

Male (2026)11th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Geometry98%~ state avg

Algebra I93%~ state avg

Civics and Economics66%-8 vs state

English Reading62%-11 vs state

Science51%-14 vs state

Mathematics24%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Churchland 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 Mathematics (2026)						SOL Science (2026)		SOL Earth Science (2026)		SOL English Reading (2026)						SOL Geography (2026)	SOL Civics and Economics (2026)			SOL VA Studies (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 6th Grade	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 6th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th 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 Earth Science 7th Grade	SOL Earth Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Geography 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 6th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 7th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	SOL VA Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Churchland Middle	Public	7-8	4051 River Shore Rd	Portsmouth	23703	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 686-2512	798	54	14.7	100.5%	122 (15.3%)	555 (69.5%)	56 (7.0%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (6.5%)	24.6	351^st of 416 public middle schools	15.6%		21	365^th of 419 public middle schools	12.9%	14		97.7		96.3	91.3					23.9	23.8		51.2							61.2	63.0				66.5			$10,307	$1,935	$8,372
Colonel Fred Cherry Middle	Public	6-8	7401 Burbage Drive	Suffolk	23435	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 925-6752	736	63	11.7	68.8%	165 (22.4%)	408 (55.4%)	69 (9.4%)	20 (2.7%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	70 (9.5%)	56.7	190^th of 416 public middle schools	54.3%		55.3	201^st of 419 public middle schools	52.0%	11		100.0		100.0	99.0				70.0	56.0	57.0		69.4						66.4	74.8	76.4			72.7				$7,997	$202	$7,796
Western Branch Middle	Public	6-8	4201 Hawksley Dr	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 638-7920	855	68	12.5	73.3%	321 (37.5%)	319 (37.3%)	84 (9.8%)	36 (4.2%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	90 (10.5%)	69.1	109^th of 416 public middle schools	73.8%		63.9	150^th of 419 public middle schools	64.2%	41		100.0		100.0	100.0				68.5	65.4	66.0		77.9						79.4	82.5	77.6		67.5					$10,343	$419	$9,925
Blair Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	730 Spotswood Ave	Norfolk	23517	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 628-2400	1,141	77	14.8	93.3%	240 (21.0%)	676 (59.2%)	117 (10.3%)	22 (1.9%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	78 (6.8%)	24	354^th of 416 public middle schools	14.9%		20.2	368^th of 419 public middle schools	12.2%	14	≥ 50%	93.5	≥ 50%	99.2	95.7				36.0	19.9	9.6		18.3	95.1	87.3				62.3	61.6	54.8	83.1		95.2	32.1			$8,978	$318	$8,660
William E. Waters Middle	Public	7-8	600 Roosevelt Blvd	Portsmouth	23701	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 558-2813	549	46	11.9	98.9%	113 (20.6%)	358 (65.2%)	39 (7.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (6.2%)	13	385^th of 416 public middle schools	7.5%		20.6	367^th of 419 public middle schools	12.4%	18		80.8		100.0	91.1					29.5	28.1		41.4							54.2	53.7				56.6			$12,280	$2,357	$9,923
Ruffner School	Public	3-8	610 May Ave.	Norfolk	23504	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 628-2466	576	47	12.2	93.4%	9 (1.6%)	531 (92.2%)	17 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	14 (2.4%)	3	410^th of 416 public middle schools	1.4%		2.6	413^th of 419 public middle schools	1.4%	3		397.0		≥ 50%	100.0	17.1	39.1	4.1	19.5	11.9	16.6	4.1	17.0		≥ 50%	26.5	56.5	14.3	33.3	36.9	26.3	50.0		65.5	16.7	41.3	14.3	$12,376	$1,572	$10,804
Cradock Middle	Public	7-8	21 Alden Ave	Portsmouth	23702	Portsmouth city	Portsmouth City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 393-8788	516	38	13.5	103.5%	36 (7.0%)	395 (76.6%)	36 (7.0%)	4 (0.8%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.9%)	12.1	390^th of 416 public middle schools	6.3%		11.5	389^th of 419 public middle schools	7.2%	1		87.5		100.0	98.5					25.0	31.4		45.1							46.9	48.7				48.2			$13,319	$3,103	$10,216
Academy For Discovery At Lakewood	Public	3-8	1701 Alsace Ave	Norfolk	23509	Norfolk city	Norfolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 628-2477	739	50	14.7	100.0%	365 (49.4%)	223 (30.2%)	63 (8.5%)	19 (2.6%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	65 (8.8%)	66.2	133^rd of 416 public middle schools	68.0%		78.6	55^th of 419 public middle schools	86.9%	78		100.0		100.0	88.9	87.7	94.0	85.7	58.4		375.0	81.0			86.1	79.0	92.8	89.3	78.5	81.9	89.8	88.3		88.3		92.8	95.2	$8,184	$64	$8,120
Jolliff Middle	Public	6-8	1021 Jolliff Rd.	Chesapeake	23321	Chesapeake city	Chesapeake City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 465-5246	753	65	11.5	73.8%	322 (42.8%)	256 (34.0%)	88 (11.7%)	19 (2.5%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	64 (8.5%)	70	104^th of 416 public middle schools	75.0%		71.9	106^th of 419 public middle schools	74.7%	2		100.0		100.0	100.0				71.3	54.3	74.7		73.5		≥ 50%				77.8	79.0	79.7		79.4					$12,110	$781	$11,329
John Yeates Middle	Public	6-8	4901 Bennetts Pasture Rd	Suffolk	23435	Suffolk city	Suffolk City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 923-4105	509	51	9.9	69.5%	215 (42.2%)	183 (36.0%)	40 (7.9%)	14 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	55 (10.8%)	76.7	61^st of 416 public middle schools	85.3%		71	113^th of 419 public middle schools	73.0%	52		100.0	≥ 50%	100.0	100.0				80.3	50.0	58.2		77.3						78.3	90.6	85.6			88.1				$10,855	$592	$10,263

Frequently Asked Questions about Churchland Middle

What is the racial makeup of Churchland Middle?

Students at Churchland Middle are 70% African American, 15% White, 7% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What district is Churchland Middle in?

Portsmouth City Public Schools

How many students attend Churchland Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 798 students attended Churchland Middle.

Is Churchland Middle a good school?

Churchland Middle ranks in the bottom 15.6% of Virginia middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Churchland Middle attend?

Students who attend Churchland Middle usually go on to attend Churchland High

Rate Churchland Middle!

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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.