Summary:
Zip code 22192 (Woodbridge, VA) is served by two public high schools—Woodbridge High and Gar-Field High—both covering grades 9-12 within Prince William County Public Schools, a district ranked 46th out of 131 in Virginia. Combined, these schools serve over 5,400 students, and both have nearly identical economic need, with roughly 68% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. However, the similarities end there: Woodbridge High is the clear standout, ranking 220th in the state (34th percentile) compared to Gar-Field's 313th (5th percentile), and it posts a much higher graduation rate (96.4% vs. 91.3%) and a dramatically lower dropout rate (0.9% vs. 6.4%).
Woodbridge also outperforms Gar-Field on overall test proficiency—about 69% proficient across SOL tests versus 60%—with particularly strong 9th-grade math results, including 96.1% proficiency in Geometry and 100% in Algebra II. Gar-Field does have bright spots, especially among 12th graders, where students exceeded state averages in Writing, Biology, VA/US History, and World History I in 2024-2025. Yet those isolated successes don't mask the broader trend: Gar-Field's ranking collapsed to the 5th percentile in 2025-2026 after sitting around the 20th percentile in prior years, while Woodbridge maintained a much more stable and higher position.
Both schools share a serious challenge with chronic absenteeism, sitting around 25-26%—well above the district rate of 13.8% and the state rate of 14.8%. Notably, Gar-Field actually spends more per student ($10,654 vs. $9,519) and has smaller classes (15.8 vs. 18.0 student-teacher ratio), yet Woodbridge achieves better outcomes across nearly every metric. Grade-level patterns suggest the biggest struggles occur in underclassmen years, especially 10th-grade Geometry where both schools posted an identical 27.8% proficiency rate, and in 10th-grade Biology and Reading. For parents, Woodbridge High is the stronger choice academically, but both schools face similar economic and attendance hurdles, and Gar-Field's senior-year successes hint at untapped potential that could be developed earlier.
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