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Richlands High

Q: Is Richlands High a good school?

Richlands High ranks 127 th of 331 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

127^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 331 Virginia High Schools

Better than 62% of Virginia high schools

Summary

Richlands High is a public high school in Richlands, VA, serving 557 students in grades 9–12 as part of Tazewell County Public Schools, a district ranked 19th out of 131 in Virginia. The school currently ranks #127 of 331 Virginia high schools (62nd percentile, 3 stars), a dip from recent highs like #45 in 2023–24 and #20 in 2018–19. While the ranking has been volatile, Richlands shows clear strengths in math and English reading that set it apart from nearby schools.

Mathematics is the school's biggest academic differentiator. Richlands posts strong SOL math scores, with 94.2% proficiency in 9th-grade Algebra I compared to 80.2% statewide, and 100% proficiency in Algebra II for four consecutive years. English reading is also strong—94.9% of 11th graders are proficient, beating the state average of 88.1% and edging out Northwood High, the region's top-ranked school. Graduation rates are solid too: 96.4% of students graduate, versus 92.3% statewide, and the dropout rate of 2.1% is less than half the state average. The school is particularly effective with low-income and disabled students, ranking in the 70th and 67th percentiles statewide for those subgroups respectively.

The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism: 25.4% of students miss significant amounts of school, the highest rate in the local comparison group and well above the 14.8% state average. Science is also a relative weakness—only 67.7% of 10th graders are proficient in biology, trailing Tazewell High (75.3%) and Northwood High (94.7%). Geography scores lag the district average as well. Compared to Tazewell High, the county's other main high school, Richlands leads in graduation rate, dropout rate, math, and reading, but trails in science. Northwood High, about 15 miles away, is the regional standout at #11 in Virginia, showing what's possible with higher per-student spending ($12,396 vs. $9,085) and a smaller student-teacher ratio.

557

Students ?

9.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,085

Per pupil spending ?

88.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

138 Tornado Alley
Richlands, VA 24641-3069

(276) 964-4602

District: Tazewell County Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

97.1%

Two or more races:

1.8%

Hispanic:

1.1%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 38th percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Virginia average (92%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Virginia median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (25% vs 15% Virginia)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school83%

District avg84%

Virginia avg82%

127^th of 331

Virginia public high schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3High Schools in the Tazewell County Public Schools

19^th of 131Tazewell 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	62.5	127 of 331	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.8	99 of 328	69.8%	★★★★☆
2024	76.5	45 of 329	86.3%	★★★★☆
2023	62.6	137 of 326	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.3	64 of 325	80.3%	★★★★☆
2021	59.9	84 of 327	74.3%	★★★★☆
2019	75.1	20 of 327	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	67.7	50 of 326	84.7%	★★★★☆
2017	60.5	93 of 324	71.3%	★★★★☆
2016	43.0	200 of 321	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.7	157 of 322	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	43.6	187 of 322	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.6	183 of 321	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.7	196 of 321	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.5	129 of 320	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.5	126 of 317	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	50.7	145 of 313	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	43.3	194 of 316	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.1	196 of 313	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	57.7	96 of 314	69.4%	★★★★☆
2005	59.6	81 of 308	73.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	60.8	83 of 252	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	83.4	23 of 253	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	68.5	63 of 249	74.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	58.0	153 of 322	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.6	129 of 321	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.5	74 of 322	77.0%	★★★★☆
2023	51.0	185 of 320	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	65.6	96 of 321	70.1%	★★★★☆
2025	75.4	46 of 324	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	82.5	23 of 320	92.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	63.3	114 of 325	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.3	81 of 322	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	79.8	32 of 322	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	70.5	81 of 321	74.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	51.0	181 of 312	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.1	166 of 313	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.8	99 of 314	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.8	201 of 315	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2026)67th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)65th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)52nd percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)42nd percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra II100%+6 vs state

English Reading95%+7 vs state

Algebra I93%+15 vs state

Biology75%-3 vs state

Geography71%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Richlands 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 Biology (2026)			SOL Science (2026)	SOL Earth Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (2026)		SOL Geography (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 Writing 11th Grade	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra II 9th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 9th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL Geography 8th Grade	SOL Geography 9th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Richlands High	Public	9-12	138 Tornado Alley	Richlands	24641	Tazewell County	Tazewell County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 964-4602	557	60	9.3	88.5%	541 (97.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	62.5	127^th of 331 public high schools	61.6%		68.8	99^th of 328 public high schools	69.8%	28				94.2	88.9	100.0		81.8	67.7					94.9		71.1	$9,085	$742	$8,343
Honaker High	Public	8-12	1795 Thompson Creek Rd.	Honaker	24260	Russell County	Russell County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 873-6363	422	30	14.2	89.1%	415 (98.3%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	39.6	246^th of 331 public high schools	25.7%		52.8	180^th of 328 public high schools	45.1%	66		57.6	96.1			60.0	50.0		66.3		68.7	76.2	71.1	89.4	61.1		$7,922	$387	$7,535
Twin Valley High	Public	8-12	14449 Dismal River Road	Pilgrims Knob	24634	Buchanan County	Buchanan County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 259-7818	179	14	12.5	97.2%	173 (96.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	26.2	299^th of 331 public high schools	9.7%		25.1	302^nd of 328 public high schools	7.9%	3	80.0	87.5		85.7				60.0	57.9		72.0		84.0	75.0	64.0	45.8	$9,101	$1,498	$7,603
Keen Mountain Corr Center	Public	11-12	3402 Kennel Gap Road	Oakwood	24631	Buchanan County	Virginia Department of Corrections	No	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(276) 498-7411																			(n/a)
Northwood High	Public	9-12	305 Panther Ln	Saltville	24370	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 496-7751	204	23	8.7	99.0%	193 (94.6%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	83.4	11^th of 331 public high schools	96.7%		83.1	9^th of 328 public high schools	97.3%	2		87.5		96.4					94.7					93.9			$12,396	$1,007	$11,390
Tazewell High	Public	9-12	167 Cosby Blvd	Tazewell	24651	Tazewell County	Tazewell County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 988-6502	509	44	11.5	88.8%	462 (90.8%)	21 (4.1%)	6 (1.2%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.9%)	58.4	155^th of 331 public high schools	53.2%		69.1	96^th of 328 public high schools	70.7%	59				88.7	65.5	94.7		90.0	75.3	54.6				86.2		81.2	$8,589	$247	$8,342
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	98.3%	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	63.6			93.3							76.5		58.8	68.2			$11,620	$798	$10,821

Frequently Asked Questions about Richlands High

Is Richlands High a good school?

Richlands High ranks 127^th of 331 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Richlands High in?

Tazewell County Public Schools

How many students attend Richlands High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 557 students attended Richlands High.

What is the racial makeup of Richlands High?

Students at Richlands High are 97% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

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VAVirginia High School Rankings

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Schools in Richlands, 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.