Best High Schools in Zip Code 22556

Zip code 22556 in Stafford, Virginia is served by two public high schools — Mountain View High and North Stafford High — both part of Stafford County Public Schools and serving grades 9–12 with a combined enrollment of over 4,200 students. Both schools currently earn 4-star ratings from SchoolDigger, even though the district as a whole ranks 74th out of 131 Virginia districts (44th percentile, 2 stars).

Mountain View High remains the consistent academic leader in the area. It ranks 68th of 331 Virginia high schools (79th percentile) and posts a 95.9% graduation rate, a 3.2% dropout rate, and strong SOL proficiency in Algebra I and II, English Reading, Writing, and Geometry. Only 25.6% of its students receive free/reduced lunch. Meanwhile, North Stafford High is the area's standout turnaround story: it jumped from the 41st percentile (193rd) to the 75th percentile (84th) in just two years — a gain of 109 places — despite serving nearly double the share of economically disadvantaged students (47.8% free/reduced lunch). North Stafford now posts competitive scores in Algebra, Biology, and English Reading.

However, Mountain View still wins decisively on student engagement and completion. North Stafford's graduation rate sits at 90.4%, its dropout rate is 6.8%, and its chronic absenteeism rate is 21.6% — all worse than district and state averages. Both schools exceed the state's 14.8% chronic absenteeism rate, and history/social studies is the weakest subject area for both. Per-student spending is nearly identical ($8,460 vs. $8,545), making North Stafford's improvement all the more notable given its higher student needs. For families, Mountain View remains the stronger all-around choice today, but North Stafford is closing the gap quickly — and if its current trajectory holds, it could soon match or surpass its neighbor on academic metrics.