Summary:
Zip code 22043 in Falls Church, VA is home to four public elementary schools — Haycock Elementary, Westgate Elementary, Lemon Road Elementary, and Shrevewood Elementary — all serving grades PK through 6 as part of Fairfax County Public Schools, a district ranked 39th out of 131 in Virginia. Despite sharing the same zip code and district, these four schools offer vastly different educational experiences, with combined enrollment of 2,626 students but dramatic differences in academic performance, poverty rates, attendance, and spending.
Haycock Elementary is the clear standout: it is ranked #5 in Virginia with a 5-star rating and 100th percentile placement, and it has been a top-5 school in the state for three consecutive years. Its average SOL proficiency is 97.3%, with 100% proficiency in 6th-grade math, reading, and Algebra I, and it has the lowest poverty rate (4.4%) and chronic absenteeism (2.7%) in the group. Lemon Road Elementary is also a strong, consistent choice, ranked #157 (86th percentile, 4 stars) with an 86.4% average SOL proficiency and 100% proficiency in 6th-grade Algebra I. Both top schools keep chronic absenteeism well below the district average.
At the other end, Westgate Elementary ranks #548 (51st percentile, 3 stars) and Shrevewood Elementary ranks #797 (28th percentile, 1 star) and has declined for three straight years, falling below district averages in every tested subject. Math is the biggest weakness at these schools — Shrevewood's math proficiency averages just 57.7%, and Westgate drops from 79.5% in 3rd-grade math to 60.5% in 6th grade. Notably, the lowest-performing schools spend the most per pupil (Westgate at $11,865 and Shrevewood at $11,032) while top-ranked Haycock spends the least ($9,712) and has the largest class sizes. Poverty and chronic absenteeism closely track performance, and the achievement gap between the top and bottom schools in this single zip code spans 792 places in the state rankings.
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