Summary:
Zip code 22604 contains exactly one school, John Handley High, a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Winchester, Virginia. The school is part of Winchester City Public Schools and enrolls 1,361 students. Because only one school exists in this zip code, the most useful comparisons are against the district and state rather than neighboring schools.
John Handley High serves a high-need population, with 84.5% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. Despite this, the school posts a graduation rate of 93.3%, slightly above the Virginia state average of 92.3%. The school showed strong improvement in its SchoolDigger ranking, jumping from 293rd (11th percentile) in 2024–2025 to 232nd (30th percentile) in 2025–2026, though it remains below its 208th place ranking from two years prior. Mathematics is a clear strength: 100% of 9th graders passed Geometry in 2025–2026, and Algebra I performance in grades 10, 11, and 12 all exceeded state averages. These results are particularly impressive given the school's high poverty rate.
The biggest challenges are in science and attendance. Earth Science proficiency was just 19.5% compared to the state's 45.2%, and Biology scores lag behind statewide averages at most grade levels. Chronic absenteeism affects 18.7% of students, well above the district rate of 12.9% and the state rate of 14.8%. English Reading is mixed: 11th graders scored close to the state average (85.3% vs. 88.1%), and 12th-grade reading improved dramatically from 37.1% to 66.7%, though it still trails the state's 70.2%. With a student-teacher ratio of 21.6 and per-student spending of $13,157, the school will need continued focus on science instruction and improving attendance to build on its recent gains.
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