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Castlewood High

Q: Is Castlewood High a good school?

Castlewood High ranks 237 th of 331 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Castlewood High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 285 students attended Castlewood High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Castlewood High?

Students at Castlewood High are 96% White, 1% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% Hispanic.

Q: What schools feed into Castlewood High?

Castlewood High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Castlewood Elementary

Public Grades 8-12

237^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 331 Virginia High Schools

Better than 28% of Virginia high schools

Summary

Castlewood High is a small, rural public school in Castlewood, Virginia, serving grades 8–12 with about 285 students. It is part of Russell County Public Schools and currently holds a 1-star rating on SchoolDigger, ranking in the bottom third of Virginia high schools.

The school serves a community with significant economic need — over 91% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — with per-student spending around $9,509 and a small class size of about 15 students per teacher. The most urgent concern for parents is the dropout rate, which has soared from 1.4% in 2020-2021 to 10.1% in 2024-2025, more than double the state average of 5.0% and far above nearby schools like Lebanon High (2.9%), John S. Battle High (3.8%), and Ridgeview High (4.1%). The graduation rate of 89.8% also trails the state average of 92.3%, while high-poverty neighbors like Central High (99.4%) and J.I. Burton High (98.6%) achieve much stronger results. Academically, the weakest areas are 8th-grade math (25% proficient vs. 46.9% statewide), 8th-grade reading (58.2% vs. 73.5%), and 9th-grade geometry (40.4% vs. 85.9% statewide), where Twin Springs High posts far higher scores.

That said, Castlewood has genuine strengths to build on. Chronic absenteeism is just 11.9%, better than the state average and most nearby schools, including Ridgeview High (31.4%) and Virginia High (26.1%). Reading proficiency for 11th graders is strong at 89.3% — above the state average — and Earth Science proficiency (77.4%) also beats the state. Students taking 8th-grade Algebra I perform well, with about 91% proficient. The school ranked in the 72nd percentile as recently as 2018-2019, so it has a track record of better outcomes. For parents, the picture is mixed: a small, close-knit school with solid attendance and upper-level successes, but clear challenges in keeping students on track through middle school and into graduation.

285

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,913

Per pupil spending ?

91.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

304 Blue Devil Circle
Castlewood, VA 24224

(276) 762-9449

District: Russell County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.5%

Two or more races:

1.4%

African American:

1.1%

See top rated Virginia high schools

Compare Castlewood High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 61st percentile in 2016 → 28th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (61% vs 73% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Virginia average (88% vs 94%)

!Dropout rate above the Virginia average (10% vs 5%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg66%

Virginia avg73%

Middle school

370^th of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 37 pts since 2016

From bottom 48% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

237^th of 331

Virginia public high schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 33 pts since 2016

From top 39% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the Russell County Public Schools

80^th of 131Russell 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	19.1	370 of 416	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.4	307 of 419	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.3	248 of 417	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	253 of 422	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.5	179 of 415	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.2	208 of 424	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.6	76 of 413	81.6%	★★★★☆
2017	81.9	30 of 415	92.8%	★★★★★
2016	47.7	214 of 409	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	15.2	376 of 412	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	14.1	386 of 416	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.7	399 of 416	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	27.8	347 of 413	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.1	353 of 413	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	32.7	323 of 408	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	40.7	255 of 390	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	62.6	114 of 391	70.8%	★★★★☆
2007	47.1	223 of 387	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	69.7	62 of 383	83.8%	★★★★☆
2005	62.6	134 of 340	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	20.4	362 of 409	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.3	248 of 403	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.0	224 of 407	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.7	227 of 411	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	317 of 401	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.6	295 of 403	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	61.4	144 of 402	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	20.9	362 of 410	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.6	313 of 404	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.8	240 of 407	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.1	261 of 409	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	5.6	395 of 400	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.7	369 of 400	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	32.4	299 of 396	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.7	303 of 402	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	41.7	237 of 331	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	54.6	171 of 328	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.3	220 of 329	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.0	228 of 326	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.6	137 of 325	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.9	149 of 327	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.2	91 of 327	72.2%	★★★★☆
2018	46.1	187 of 326	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.9	152 of 324	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.3	125 of 321	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	41.3	201 of 322	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	45.2	175 of 322	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	27.9	266 of 321	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.0	208 of 321	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.1	140 of 320	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.3	157 of 317	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	79.2	9 of 313	97.1%	★★★★★
2008	75.1	20 of 316	93.7%	★★★★★
2007	72.7	27 of 313	91.4%	★★★★★
2006	71.7	27 of 314	91.4%	★★★★★
2005	71.9	27 of 308	91.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	28.1	278 of 322	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.2	247 of 321	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.2	219 of 322	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.2	234 of 320	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	46.0	185 of 321	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.9	154 of 324	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.7	184 of 320	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	50.3	182 of 325	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.5	113 of 322	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.9	214 of 322	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	231 of 321	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	294 of 312	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	33.3	263 of 313	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	266 of 314	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.2	293 of 315	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

Female (2026)11th percentile~ school

White (2026)1st percentile-10 vs school

High school

Male (2026)44th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)42nd percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)14th percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)6th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I91%+7 vs state

Earth Science77%+14 vs state

English Reading74%-6 vs state

Biology66%-3 vs state

Science56%-8 vs state

Geography41%-29 vs state

Geometry40%-38 vs state

Mathematics25%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Castlewood High

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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 Writing (2026)			SOL Geometry (2026)				SOL Algebra I (2026)					SOL Algebra II (2026)				SOL Mathematics (2026)	SOL Chemistry (2026)		SOL Biology (2026)				SOL Science (2026)	SOL Earth Science (2026)				SOL English Reading (2026)				SOL Geography (2026)					SOL VA and US History (2026)			SOL World History I (2026)				SOL World History II (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 Writing 10th Grade	SOL Writing 11th Grade	SOL Writing 12th Grade	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Geometry 10th Grade	SOL Geometry 11th Grade	SOL Geometry 12th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 11th Grade	SOL Algebra I 12th Grade	SOL Algebra II 9th Grade	SOL Algebra II 10th Grade	SOL Algebra II 11th Grade	SOL Algebra II 12th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Chemistry 10th Grade	SOL Chemistry 11th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Biology 12th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 9th Grade	SOL Earth Science 10th Grade	SOL Earth Science 11th Grade	SOL Earth Science 12th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 10th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	SOL Geography 8th Grade	SOL Geography 9th Grade	SOL Geography 10th Grade	SOL Geography 11th Grade	SOL Geography 12th Grade	SOL VA and US History 10th Grade	SOL VA and US History 11th Grade	SOL VA and US History 12th Grade	SOL World History I 9th Grade	SOL World History I 10th Grade	SOL World History I 11th Grade	SOL World History I 12th Grade	SOL World History II 9th Grade	SOL World History II 10th Grade	SOL World History II 12th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Castlewood High	Public	8-12	304 Blue Devil Circle	Castlewood	24224	Russell County	Russell County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 762-9449	285	19	14.9	91.2%	275 (96.5%)	3 (1.1%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	41.7	237^th of 331 public high schools	28.4%		54.6	171^st of 328 public high schools	47.9%	66				40.4	≥ 50%		< 50%	90.9	429.0	≥ 50%		≥ 50%					25.0				66.0	< 50%	≥ 50%	56.4	77.4	≥ 50%	< 50%	≥ 50%	58.2		89.3	≥ 50%	41.4	392.0	≥ 50%		≥ 50%		388.0	≥ 50%								$11,913	$523	$11,390
Wise Correctional Center Unit #18	Public	11-12	3602 Bear Lane	Coeburn	24230	Wise County	Virginia Department of Corrections	No	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(540) 395-2384				—															(n/a)
Lebanon High	Public	8-12	105 Charles C Long Drive	Lebanon	24266	Russell County	Russell County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 889-6539	571	44	13.0	90.9%	554 (97.0%)	4 (0.7%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	40	245^th of 331 public high schools	26.0%		43.1	236^th of 328 public high schools	28.0%	9				40.7	378.0	< 50%		95.8	393.0	≥ 50%	≥ 50%	≥ 50%	392.0	≥ 50%		337.0	15.6			< 50%	49.5	< 50%	< 50%	67.3	79.4	372.0	≥ 50%	396.0	73.0	≥ 50%	93.1	60.0	68.1	70.0	≥ 50%	< 50%	447.0	< 50%	60.0	395.0								$8,205	$579	$7,626
Eastside High	Public	9-12	314 School House Hill Dr	Coeburn	24230	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 395-3389	418	26	15.8	88.3%	402 (96.2%)	3 (0.7%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	77	43^rd of 331 public high schools	87.0%		66.6	109^th of 328 public high schools	66.8%	66		95.6		100.0	≥ 50%	≥ 50%			92.3	425.0	≥ 50%	≥ 50%									85.7	≥ 50%	≥ 50%			389.0	396.0				90.0	464.0		370.0	54.6	< 50%	< 50%		53.9	< 50%	81.0	≥ 50%	< 50%					$8,487	$246	$8,242
Twin Springs High	Public	8-12	273 Titan Lane	Nickelsville	24271	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(276) 479-2185	242	24	9.9	78.5%	221 (91.3%)	2 (0.8%)	15 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	61.7	134^th of 331 public high schools	59.5%		71.6	79^th of 328 public high schools	75.9%	55				< 50%				≥ 50%	89.1	< 50%					≥ 50%		72.6				79.6	≥ 50%		67.9	100.0		< 50%	≥ 50%	72.2		86.5	≥ 50%	≥ 50%	63.6	418.0	≥ 50%	443.0		413.0									$12,852	$1,147	$11,706
Central High	Public	9-12	5000 Warrior Drive	Norton	24273	Norton city	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 328-8015	676	41	16.5	90.7%	630 (93.2%)	9 (1.3%)	16 (2.4%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.9%)	85.3	4^th of 331 public high schools	98.8%		83.4	7^th of 328 public high schools	97.9%	3	≥ 50%	88.4	≥ 50%	≥ 50%					98.1	432.0	405.0	≥ 50%	100.0							< 50%	91.6	416.0	≥ 50%							≥ 50%	94.1	438.0						< 50%	≥ 50%	≥ 50%	90.8	83.3	≥ 50%	≥ 50%				$6,378	$242	$6,136
Council High	Public	8-12	7608 Helen Henderson Hwy	Honaker	24260	Russell County	Buchanan County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 859-9329	115	10	11.2	—	114 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	29.3	285^th of 331 public high schools	13.9%		30.4	284^th of 328 public high schools	13.4%	1	< 50%	63.6		407.0	< 50%	< 50%		437.0	93.3	≥ 50%	≥ 50%						383.0				396.0			76.5		≥ 50%	< 50%	≥ 50%	58.8		68.2		386.0	375.0	< 50%				373.0							< 50%	< 50%
Ridgeview High	Public	9-12	310 Wolfpack Way	Clintwood	24228	Dickenson County	Dickenson County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 835-1600	548	56	9.8	97.8%	528 (96.4%)	9 (1.6%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	56.4	168^th of 331 public high schools	49.2%		56.9	164^th of 328 public high schools	50.0%	4				93.8	< 50%				86.0	420.0	≥ 50%	≥ 50%									85.6	≥ 50%	445.0					< 50%		≥ 50%	84.0								374.0	< 50%	60.8	389.0		≥ 50%		367.0		$13,045	$502	$12,543
Virginia High	Public	9-12	650 Long Crescent Dr	Bristol	24201	Bristol city	Bristol City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 821-5858	638	54	11.8	—	468 (73.4%)	58 (9.1%)	36 (5.6%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (10.8%)	37.3	258^th of 331 public high schools	22.1%		44	230^th of 328 public high schools	29.9%	28		70.9	50.0	84.1	< 50%	≥ 50%			75.9	68.8	68.8	60.0						≥ 50%	≥ 50%	94.3	65.7	50.0	391.0				365.0	387.0			83.3	79.3		65.3	408.0	< 50%	60.0		365.0	381.0	61.9	407.0	< 50%	≥ 50%	≥ 50%	< 50%		$14,333	$534	$13,799
John S. Battle High	Public	9-12	21264 Battle Hill Dr	Bristol	24202	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 642-5300	613	42	14.7	75.5%	574 (93.6%)	3 (0.5%)	18 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.8%)	69.6	87^th of 331 public high schools	73.7%		73	73^rd of 328 public high schools	77.7%	14				100.0	≥ 50%		≥ 50%		96.1	82.6	≥ 50%	≥ 50%								429.0	75.5	395.0	< 50%				< 50%				87.9	385.0			< 50%	≥ 50%			388.0	389.0	444.0	392.0			395.0	371.0		$8,456	$05	$8,451

Frequently Asked Questions about Castlewood High

How many students attend Castlewood High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 285 students attended Castlewood High.

What is the racial makeup of Castlewood High?

Students at Castlewood High are 96% White, 1% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% Hispanic.

What district is Castlewood High in?

Russell County Public Schools

What schools feed into Castlewood High?

Castlewood High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Castlewood Elementary

Is Castlewood High a good school?

Castlewood High ranks 237^th of 331 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Castlewood High!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 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.