Summary:
Zip code 20191 in Reston, Virginia is served by 6 schools in Fairfax County Public Schools: four elementary schools (Sunrise Valley, Hunters Woods, Terraset, and Dogwood), one middle school (Hughes Middle), and one high school (South Lakes High). Together these schools enroll 6,073 students and tell a story of stark contrasts—some of the top-performing elementary schools in Virginia sit just miles from one of the state's lowest-ranked schools. The district itself is ranked 39th out of 131 in Virginia, earning 4 stars.
At the top, Sunrise Valley Elementary is the clear standout, ranking 85th of 1,111 elementary schools (92nd percentile) with 5 stars, strong upward trends, exceptional test scores in every subject, and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (8.0%) in the area. Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences is also strong, ranking 165th (85th percentile) with excellent reading and math proficiency and 100% proficiency in its 6th-grade Algebra I program. South Lakes High, the area's only high school, graduates 95.9% of students—well above district and state averages—with a dropout rate of just 2.5%, though 20.7% chronic absenteeism is a concern. Terraset Elementary sits in the middle tier, generally near district averages, while Hughes Middle shows a split personality: near-perfect scores in advanced math (100% in Algebra I, 98.3% in Geometry) but weak grade-level math scores.
Dogwood Elementary is the deepest concern, ranking in the 6th percentile with 0 stars. Nearly all of its students (98.5%) qualify for free/reduced lunch, and proficiency rates run 20-40 percentage points behind the district. Despite receiving the highest per-student funding in the zip ($13,667) and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.5, it remains the lowest-performing school—a reminder that poverty, not spending or class size, is the dominant factor in this area's academic outcomes.
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