Summary:
Zip code 20148 in Ashburn, Virginia is home to two large, high-performing public high schools serving grades 9 through 12: Independence High and Briar Woods High, both part of Loudoun County Public Schools.
Both schools are elite by state standards, earning 5-star ratings and ranking in the top 7% of Virginia high schools. Independence High is the clear academic leader, ranked #7 in the state with a 99.6% graduation rate, a 0.0% dropout rate, and exceptional proficiency in English Reading (97.7%), Writing (96.9%), and Algebra II (99.3%). Briar Woods High is not far behind, ranked #21 overall with a 98.6% graduation rate and 0.2% dropout rate. While Independence edges out Briar Woods in most core English and math subjects, Briar Woods shines in science, posting perfect 100% proficiency in both Chemistry and 9th-grade Biology in 2024-2025, and still outperforming Independence in Chemistry in 2025-2026 (96.4% vs. 89.3%).
A few interesting patterns stand out. Both schools have higher-than-expected chronic absenteeism (16.0% at Independence, 15.1% at Briar Woods) despite their academic success, exceeding the district average of 14.1%. Additionally, 9th graders dramatically outperform 10th graders in Geometry at both schools, suggesting that 10th-grade geometry students may include retakes or non-traditional track students. Both schools serve relatively affluent populations (only 10.6% and 12.8% free/reduced lunch eligibility) and spend generously per student, with Briar Woods spending $17,596 per student compared to Independence's $16,087. Student-teacher ratios are nearly identical at 14.3 and 14.2. Overall, families in zip code 20148 have access to two 5-star high schools that consistently outperform district and state averages, making this one of the strongest public high school clusters in Virginia.
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