Summary:
Zip code 20109 in Manassas, Virginia is served by one high school: Unity Reed High, a large public school in Prince William County Public Schools serving grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 2,042 students. The district ranks 46th out of 131 districts in Virginia (65th percentile), yet Unity Reed itself sits near the bottom of the state rankings — 316th out of 331 high schools with a 0-star rating.
Key metrics tell a challenging story. Unity Reed's graduation rate is 79.0% versus 94.2% for the district and 92.3% for the state. Its dropout rate is 16.3% — more than four times the state rate of 5.0% — and chronic absenteeism is 31.0%, double the state average of 14.8%. Average SOL proficiency across all reported tests is 52.6%, roughly 14 points below the district and state average of 67.0%. The school does have clear bright spots: 12th-grade Algebra I proficiency reached 93.3% in 2025-26, and 10th-grade Algebra I hit 72.1%, both above district and state averages. Geometry and 12th-grade Biology also outperformed state averages. However, areas like 10th-grade English Reading (35.7% proficiency), 10th-grade Writing (25.0%), Chemistry (15.4%), Earth Science (23.0%), and World History I (17.6%) are dramatically below state benchmarks.
The overall picture is complex. Strong upper-grade Algebra I and Biology scores likely reflect credit recovery and retakes, while 9th- and 10th-grade first-time test scores remain weak. Literacy is a major concern, as reading and writing proficiency are foundational for success in history and science. Non-academic indicators are stark: the school spends $11,781 per student with a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio, so funding and staffing are not the obvious problem. Instead, high economic disadvantage (66.2% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility), chronic absenteeism, and dropout rates are likely driving the performance gap. In short, Unity Reed is a high-need school with serious challenges, but its Algebra I and late-grade recovery success show that targeted strengths exist and can be built upon.
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