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Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle

Q: Is Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle a good school?

Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle ranks 240 th of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 887 students attended Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle?

Students at Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle are 60% White, 15% Hispanic, 13% African American, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Public Grades 6-8

240^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 416 Virginia Middle Schools

Better than 42% of Virginia middle schools

Summary

Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle serves grades 6–8 in Fredericksburg, VA, and is part of Stafford County Public Schools, a district that ranks 74th out of 131 districts statewide. The school enrolls 887 students and holds a 2-star rating, ranking 240th out of 416 Virginia middle schools. While its overall rank places it in the middle of the pack, that single number hides a school with clear strengths and some notable weaknesses.

The school's biggest academic strength is mathematics. In 6th-grade math, 75% of students scored proficient, the highest among all nearby schools compared, ahead of Edward E. Drew Junior Middle at 72.7%. Eighth-grade math results are also strong, ranking first among Stafford County peers and second only to Freedom Middle nearby. Eighth-grade science also outperformed the district. Advanced math students do well too, with 100% proficiency in 7th-grade Algebra I and 97.4% in 8th-grade Geometry. The one exception is 8th-grade Algebra I, where 87.6% passed, below the state rate of 93.3% and below several same-district schools like H.H. Poole Middle and Stafford Middle.

Civics & Economics is a persistent concern, with only 62.6% of 7th graders proficient compared to 70.1% statewide. The school also shows uneven results across student groups. Most notably, military-connected students rank in the 6th percentile statewide, a sharp decline from the previous year, which is especially important given the area's ties to military installations. Chronic absenteeism sits at 17.2%, slightly above the state rate of 14.8%. The contrast with Rodney E. Thompson Middle, the highest-performing nearby school in the same district, is striking: Thompson posts a 4-star rating with reading proficiency above 85% and chronic absenteeism of just 10.3%, despite spending less per student.

887

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,700

Per pupil spending ?

36%

Free/discounted lunch ?

503 Deacon Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22405

(540) 899-0860

District: Stafford County Public Schools

Students who attend Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle usually attend:

High:

Stafford Senior High

Feeder schools for Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle:

Elementary:	Ferry Farm Elementary
	Grafton Village Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.2%

Hispanic:

15.4%

African American:

13.3%

See top rated Virginia middle schools

Compare Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2016 → 42nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Stafford County Public Schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 37 percentile points since 2016

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

!Civics and Economics scores 11 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school72%

District avg69%

Virginia avg71%

240^th of 416

Virginia public middle schools ?

Bottom 42%▼ down 37 pts since 2016

From top 21% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 8Middle Schools in the Stafford County Public Schools

74^th of 131Stafford 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	48.2	240 of 416	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.5	194 of 419	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.3	227 of 417	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.5	251 of 422	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	257 of 415	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	229 of 419	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	211 of 424	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.2	134 of 413	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.5	109 of 415	73.7%	★★★★☆
2016	68.1	86 of 409	79.0%	★★★★☆
2015	63.8	110 of 412	73.3%	★★★★☆
2014	64.9	95 of 416	77.2%	★★★★☆
2013	61.9	109 of 416	73.8%	★★★★☆
2012	57.1	140 of 413	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	58.6	137 of 413	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	46.1	237 of 408	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	52.1	179 of 390	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	51.0	195 of 391	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	47.8	216 of 387	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	181 of 297	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.8	151 of 297	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.5	155 of 299	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.8	215 of 298	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	95 of 137	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.9	117 of 136	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	154 of 292	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.8	225 of 281	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	207 of 278	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	43.7	270 of 409	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.2	205 of 403	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	248 of 407	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.0	239 of 411	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	170 of 283	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.5	110 of 279	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.5	151 of 272	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.8	176 of 275	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	39.5	271 of 401	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.3	175 of 403	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	197 of 402	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	215 of 410	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.6	173 of 404	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.8	191 of 407	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.9	239 of 409	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	118 of 125	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	40.1	94 of 130	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	106 of 123	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	33.5	186 of 249	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	48.1	134 of 244	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	170 of 237	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	139 of 231	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	281 of 400	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.9	236 of 400	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.8	263 of 396	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	267 of 402	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)48th percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2026)47th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)40th percentile~ school

African American (2026)39th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)34th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2026)31st percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)25th percentile-17 vs school

Military Connected (2026)6th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Geometry97%~ state avg

Algebra I93%~ state avg

English Reading73%~ state avg

Mathematics67%+10 vs state

Science63%~ state avg

Civics and Economics63%-11 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, January 12, 2023

I noticed that staff and teachers are not giving the time and proficiency in learning although very poor in giving seminars of bully among students Close Quote

Schools Near Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith 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 English Reading (2026)			SOL Geography (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 Geometry 7th Grade	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Geography 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
Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle	Public	6-8	503 Deacon Road	Fredericksburg	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 899-0860	887	58	15.2	36.0%	534 (60.2%)	118 (13.3%)	137 (15.4%)	29 (3.3%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (7.3%)	48.2	240^th of 416 public middle schools	42.3%		56.5	194^th of 419 public middle schools	53.7%	46		97.4	100.0	87.6	75.0		52.1	62.6	70.7	74.2	73.0		62.6	≥ 50%	$9,700	$437	$9,264
Edward E. Drew Junior Middle	Public	6-8	501 Cambridge St	Falmouth	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 371-1415	625	51	12.2	74.4%	180 (28.8%)	168 (26.9%)	147 (23.5%)	58 (9.3%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	67 (10.7%)	38	295^th of 416 public middle schools	29.1%		35.1	305^th of 419 public middle schools	27.2%	10		91.3	100.0	93.8	72.7		35.5	54.6	70.4	68.9	66.5		60.0		$13,167	$762	$12,405
T. Benton Gayle Middle	Public	6-8	100 Panther Drive	Fredericksburg	22406	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 373-0383	939	62	15.1	41.1%	392 (41.7%)	213 (22.7%)	157 (16.7%)	74 (7.9%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (10.6%)	46.9	249^th of 416 public middle schools	40.1%		53.5	209^th of 419 public middle schools	50.1%	40		98.3	99.0	87.3	68.8	< 50%	31.2	63.5	73.7	74.6	69.8		68.5		$9,407	$416	$8,990
Stafford Middle	Public	6-8	101 Spartan Dr	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6210	961	71	13.5	48.2%	242 (25.2%)	308 (32.0%)	256 (26.6%)	61 (6.3%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	88 (9.2%)	31.6	324^th of 416 public middle schools	22.1%		34.2	308^th of 419 public middle schools	26.5%	16	≥ 50%	96.2	91.1	96.0	58.2	< 50%	25.0	52.1	69.4	66.2	61.5		67.2		$8,432	$370	$8,061
Walker-Grant Middle	Public	6-8	2201 Idlewild Blvd	Fredericksburg	22401	Fredericksburg city	Fredericksburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 372-1145	796	54	14.6	91.5%	164 (20.6%)	221 (27.8%)	210 (26.4%)	120 (15.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	77 (9.7%)	20.5	364^th of 416 public middle schools	12.5%		18.8	377^th of 419 public middle schools	10.0%	13		100.0	100.0	96.2	29.6	42.2	41.2	54.7	57.6	55.8	63.6	57.3	54.8		$12,740	$2,827	$9,913
H.H. Poole Middle	Public	6-8	800 Eustace Rd	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6190	995	67	14.8	39.7%	319 (32.1%)	276 (27.7%)	250 (25.1%)	61 (6.1%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (8.4%)	36.9	304^th of 416 public middle schools	26.9%		42.7	262^nd of 419 public middle schools	37.5%	42		100.0	100.0	96.5	61.0	< 50%	24.7	54.5	64.8	72.5	68.0		65.7		$8,072	$311	$7,761
Rodney E. Thompson Middle	Public	6-8	75 Walpole St	Stafford	22554	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6420	1,063	68	15.6	24.6%	478 (45.0%)	228 (21.4%)	183 (17.2%)	81 (7.6%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	89 (8.4%)	74	87^th of 416 public middle schools	79.1%		81	41^st of 419 public middle schools	90.2%	46		100.0	98.4	93.6	67.1	384.0	43.9	77.1	85.9	85.5	85.7		86.2		$8,324	$380	$7,944
Battlefield Middle	Public	6-8	11120 Leavells Road	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 786-4400	780	56	14.0	71.0%	257 (32.9%)	149 (19.1%)	279 (35.8%)	37 (4.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (7.2%)	37.6	298^th of 416 public middle schools	28.4%		35.2	303^rd of 419 public middle schools	27.7%	5		95.7	100.0	100.0	43.5	43.9	46.5	59.5	68.2	68.4	68.5		68.4		$9,159	$445	$8,715
Chancellor Middle	Public	6-8	6320 Harrison Rd	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 786-8099	799	61	13.0	72.1%	256 (32.0%)	129 (16.1%)	318 (39.8%)	30 (3.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (7.8%)	27.6	335^th of 416 public middle schools	19.5%		28.6	331^st of 419 public middle schools	21.0%	4	≥ 50%	93.8	96.6	95.0	56.7	31.7	35.8	57.3	63.4	56.0	70.3		61.7		$9,958	$257	$9,701
Andrew G. Wright Middle	Public	6-8	100 Wood Dr	Stafford	22556	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 658-6240	851	56	15.1	33.1%	400 (47.0%)	98 (11.5%)	249 (29.3%)	36 (4.2%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	60 (7.1%)	47.5	248^th of 416 public middle schools	40.4%		59.6	180^th of 419 public middle schools	57.0%	68		97.8	98.5	91.8	62.5	< 50%	48.6	69.0	70.5	76.4	72.9		60.6		$8,941	$349	$8,592

Frequently Asked Questions about Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle

How many students attend Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 887 students attended Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle.

What high school do graduates of Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle attend?

Students who attend Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle usually go on to attend Stafford Senior High

What district is Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle in?

Stafford County Public Schools

Is Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle a good school?

Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle ranks 240^th of 416 Virginia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle?

Students at Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle are 60% White, 15% Hispanic, 13% African American, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

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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.