Best Public Schools in Zip Code 20109

Zip code 20109 is served by 8 schools in Prince William County Public Schools — 6 elementary schools (T. Clay Wood Elementary, George P. Mullen Elementary, C.A. Sinclair Elementary, Sudley Elementary, West Gate Elementary, and Suella G. Ellis Elementary), 1 middle school (Unity Braxton Middle), and 1 high school (Unity Reed High), enrolling approximately 6,662 students.

The clear standout is T. Clay Wood Elementary, which ranks in the 88th percentile statewide with math and reading proficiency around 87–90% and chronic absenteeism of just 5.6%. At the other end of the spectrum, Unity Reed High is the most urgent concern, with a 79% graduation rate, 16.3% dropout rate, and 31% chronic absenteeism. West Gate Elementary is the lowest-ranked elementary school, sitting in the 4th percentile with math proficiency near 45%. Meanwhile, C.A. Sinclair Elementary is a positive outlier, performing near the state median (49th percentile) despite a free/reduced lunch rate near 71%. Unity Braxton Middle shows a split pattern: advanced math students score 96–100% proficient, but on-grade-level math students score only 26–37%.

One of the most striking findings is the socioeconomic divide within this zip code. T. Clay Wood Elementary's free/reduced lunch rate is 21.6%, while every other school falls between 66% and 72%. Higher spending does not correlate with better outcomes; West Gate Elementary and Suella G. Ellis Elementary spend the most per student ($14,639 and $15,557) yet perform among the worst, while T. Clay Wood Elementary spends the least ($10,442). Chronic absenteeism jumps dramatically at the high school level, from roughly 10% at the elementary level and 13.8% at the middle school to 31% at Unity Reed High. Several schools are trending downward, with West Gate Elementary falling from the 23rd to the 4th percentile in two years and Suella G. Ellis Elementary sliding from the 27th to the 15th percentile. The median school in 20109 ranks at just the 16th percentile statewide, meaning half of the schools in this zip code are in the bottom 16% of Virginia.