Best High Schools in Zip Code 20170

Zip code 20170 is home to just one public high school, Herndon High, which serves 2,261 students in grades 9–12 as part of Fairfax County Public Schools, a highly regarded district ranked 39th out of 131 in Virginia with a 4-star rating. Herndon High, however, ranks in the bottom third of Virginia high schools—243rd out of 331 in the 2025–2026 school year—and has earned a 1-star rating for three consecutive years. The school is economically diverse, with 49.49% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and it maintains a favorable 11.6-to-1 student-teacher ratio that suggests strong access to adult support.

Academically, Herndon High shows a clear grade-level pattern. Ninth-grade students perform very well on SOL tests, including 100% proficiency in Algebra II and strong results in Algebra I and Biology. Upper-grade Biology is also a genuine bright spot, with 12th-grade students scoring 87.8% proficiency in 2025–2026, well above both the district and state averages. However, proficiency drops sharply for 10th-grade test-takers, particularly in Geometry (17.1% vs. 34.1% statewide), Chemistry (14.3% vs. 48.7% statewide in 2024–2025), and Biology. Twelfth-grade English Reading is also a concern, at 63.8% proficiency compared to 70.2% statewide, suggesting that students who take certain exams later in high school may be struggling.

The most serious red flags are graduation and dropout rates. Herndon's graduation rate of 85.7% trails both the district (92.7%) and state (92.3%), while its dropout rate of 9.9% is nearly double the state average of 5.0%. Chronic absenteeism is also 3 points higher than the district average. While the school improved its percentile rank from 12th to 27th over the past year—suggesting some progress that the star rating does not fully capture—the overall picture is of a school with pockets of excellence in math and Biology, but significant challenges around student persistence, later-grade achievement, and overall outcomes compared to its strong district peers.