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Union High

Q: Is Union High a good school?

Union High ranks 51 st of 328 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

51^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 328 Virginia High Schools

Better than 84% of Virginia high schools

Summary

Union High is a public high school located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 567 students. The school is part of the Wise County Public Schools district, which is ranked 3 out of 129 districts in Virginia and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Union High consistently ranks among the top high schools in Virginia, with a statewide ranking between 28 and 66 over the past several years. The school's performance on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests is impressive, with high proficiency rates across various subjects, often exceeding the state and district averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Union High had 95.96% proficiency in SOL Writing for 11th grade, compared to the state average of 79.84% and the Wise County Public Schools average of 94.2%. Additionally, Union High has maintained high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 91.9% to 98.2% over the past few years, and relatively low dropout rates, ranging from 1.4% to 5.3%.

Despite serving a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 84.38% to 88.36% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, Union High has consistently ranked among the top 23 to 27 high schools in Virginia for its performance with low-income students. The school has also shown strong performance across different student subgroups, with male students, in particular, ranking among the top 8 to 43 high schools in Virginia in recent years. While Union High's performance is generally stronger than the nearby Eastside High and Central High, the latter has consistently ranked higher in the statewide school rankings, indicating that it may excel in other areas beyond the specific metrics analyzed.

564

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,170

Per pupil spending ?

90.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

322 Powell Valley Road
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219

(276) 523-1290

District: Wise County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Union High:

Elementary:	Coeburn Primary
	J.W. Adams Combined
	St. Paul Elementary
	Union Primary
	More...
	Wise Primary
Middle:	Coeburn Middle
	L.F. Addington Middle
	Union Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.8%

African American:

4.3%

Two or more races:

2.8%

See top rated Virginia high schools

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 88th percentile in 2015 → 84th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (88% vs 80% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of Virginia high schools

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Virginia average (92%)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school88%

District avg88%

Virginia avg80%

51^st of 328

Virginia public high schools ?

Top 16%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to top 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

3^rd of 129Wise 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
2025	75.8	51 of 328	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	74.8	55 of 329	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	72.9	66 of 326	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	28 of 325	91.4%	★★★★★
2021	43.7	173 of 327	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.4	83 of 327	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	61.9	81 of 326	75.2%	★★★★☆
2017	72.9	27 of 324	91.7%	★★★★★
2016	67.4	57 of 321	82.2%	★★★★☆
2015	71.3	40 of 322	87.6%	★★★★☆
2014	57.4	99 of 322	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	67.0	61 of 321	81.0%	★★★★☆
2012	57.6	103 of 321	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.1	104 of 320	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.2	59 of 317	81.4%	★★★★☆
2009	53.8	126 of 313	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.1	117 of 316	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	45.2	181 of 313	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	58.6	87 of 314	72.3%	★★★★☆
2005	44.1	197 of 308	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	79.4	32 of 253	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	38 of 249	84.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	71.0	81 of 321	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	63.3	127 of 322	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.9	117 of 320	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	80.7	23 of 324	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	81.0	27 of 320	91.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	77.6	43 of 322	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	85.3	8 of 322	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	79.9	26 of 321	91.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	126 of 313	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.7	83 of 314	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	61.0	124 of 315	60.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2024)87th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)87th percentile~ school

Female (2025)75th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)60th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Writing96%+16 vs state

Algebra II95%~ state avg

English Reading89%~ state avg

Algebra I89%+8 vs state

Biology87%+16 vs state

World History I80%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Union High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Writing (2025)	SOL Geometry (2025)	SOL Algebra I (2025)			SOL Algebra II (2025)	SOL Mathematics (2025)	SOL Biology (2025)	SOL Science (2025)	SOL Earth Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)		SOL Geography (2025)			SOL World History I (2025)	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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 10th 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	SOL Geography 10th Grade	SOL World History I 9th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Union High	Public	9-12	322 Powell Valley Road	Big Stone Gap	24219	Wise County	Wise County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 523-1290	564	37	15.1	90.6%	512 (90.8%)	24 (4.3%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.8%)	75.8	51^st of 328 public high schools	84.5%		74.8	55^th of 329 public high schools	83.3%	4	96.0			88.7		95.5		86.5				89.3				80.1	$9,170	$04	$9,166
J.I. Burton High	Public	8-12	109 11th St	Norton	24273	Norton city	Norton City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 679-2554	328	24	13.6	99.1%	283 (86.3%)	15 (4.6%)	9 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.1%)	61.2	138^th of 328 public high schools	57.9%		73.4	62^nd of 329 public high schools	81.2%	76	73.8	100.0	100.0	91.8			76.3	85.5	64.2	80.3	77.8	88.7	83.3			47.5	$10,666	$00	$10,666
Central High	Public	9-12	5000 Warrior Drive	Norton	24273	Wise County	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%)	83.4	7^th of 328 public high schools	97.9%		83.3	10^th of 329 public high schools	97.0%	3	91.7			97.2		95.8		91.0				93.5				83.6	$7,877	$238	$7,639
Rye Cove High	Public	8-12	164 Eagles Nest Lane	Duffield	24244	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 940-2701	292	25	11.7	78.4%	272 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	61.3	137^th of 328 public high schools	58.2%		73.4	63^rd of 329 public high schools	80.9%	74				88.0			69.8	76.6	69.1		70.9	92.9		64.0			$9,541	$635	$8,906
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%)	66.6	109^th of 328 public high schools	66.8%		75.8	49^th of 329 public high schools	85.1%	60	96.5	97.1		95.8	53.9			80.9				86.9		58.3		64.8	$10,913	$26	$10,887
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%)	71.6	79^th of 328 public high schools	75.9%		69.1	93^rd of 329 public high schools	71.7%	14				95.5			59.3	92.3	60.4	88.0	64.8	84.6		81.4			$11,901	$796	$11,105
Gate City High	Public	9-12	178 Harry Fry Dr.	Gate City	24251	Scott County	Scott County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 386-7522	592	40	14.9	80.4%	556 (93.9%)	8 (1.4%)	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.4%)	78.3	31^st of 328 public high schools	90.5%		79.3	26^th of 329 public high schools	92.1%	5				94.2	87.5			87.1				92.2		84.2	58.3		$7,564	$310	$7,253

Frequently Asked Questions about Union High

What schools feed into Union High?

Union High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Coeburn Primary
Elementary : J.W. Adams Combined
Elementary : St. Paul Elementary
Elementary : Union Primary
Elementary : Wise Primary
Middle : Coeburn Middle
Middle : L.F. Addington Middle
Middle : Union Middle

How many students attend Union High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 564 students attended Union High.

Is Union High a good school?

Union High ranks 51^st of 328 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Union High?

Students at Union High are 91% White, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What district is Union High in?

Wise County Public Schools

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VAVirginia High School Rankings

VAVirginia District Rankings

Schools in Big Stone Gap, VA

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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.