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Best High Schools in Zip Code 22604

At a glance

School

1,361

Students

Top rankedJohn Handley High232^nd of 331 Virginia high schools

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Biggest riser

John Handley High up 61 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 22604, located in Winchester, Virginia, contains one high school, John Handley High, serving grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 1,361 students. This is a large, high-poverty school where 84.5% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, and its 93.3% graduation rate slightly exceeds the Virginia state average of 92.3%. The school’s chronic absenteeism rate of 18.7% is notably higher than both the district rate of 12.9% and the state rate of 14.8%, while its dropout rate of 5.5% is also above the state’s 5.0%. Per-student spending is $13,157, and the student-teacher ratio is 21.6:1.

Academically, John Handley High shows a striking mix of strengths and weaknesses. In 2025-2026, 100% of 9th graders were proficient in Geometry, well above the state average of 85.9%, and upper-grade Algebra I scores also outperformed state averages. However, Earth Science proficiency for 10th graders was just 19.5% versus 45.2% statewide, a 25.7-point gap. Biology scores decline sharply in later grades; for example, 9th graders posted 69.3% proficiency in 2024-2025 while 10th graders managed only 45.0%. English Reading is another concern, especially for 12th graders, who improved from 37.1% proficiency in 2024-2025 to 66.7% in 2025-2026, but still trail the state average of 70.2%.

The school’s state ranking has been volatile, moving from the 37th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 11th percentile in 2024-2025, then recovering to the 30th percentile in 2025-2026. Its district, Winchester City Public Schools, ranks 101 out of 131 districts in Virginia, placing it in the 23rd percentile. For parents, the key takeaway is that John Handley High offers strong math achievement, especially in Geometry and Algebra, and a solid graduation rate, but families should be aware of significant challenges in Earth Science, later-grade Biology, and senior-year reading proficiency. The elevated chronic absenteeism rate also suggests that supporting regular attendance could be a critical factor in improving outcomes for many students.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SOL Writing (2026)	SOL Geometry (2026)			SOL Algebra I (2026)				SOL Algebra II (2026)		SOL Biology (2026)				SOL Earth Science (2026)				SOL English Reading (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Writing 12th Grade	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Geometry 10th Grade	SOL Geometry 11th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 11th Grade	SOL Algebra I 12th Grade	SOL Algebra II 9th Grade	SOL Algebra II 11th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Biology 12th Grade	SOL Earth Science 9th Grade	SOL Earth Science 10th Grade	SOL Earth Science 11th Grade	SOL Earth Science 12th Grade	SOL English Reading 9th Grade	SOL English Reading 10th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
John Handley High	Public	9-12	425 Handley Blvd	Winchester	22604	Winchester city	Winchester City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 662-3471	1,361	63	21.6	84.5%	477 (35.0%)	118 (8.7%)	619 (45.5%)	56 (4.1%)	12 (0.9%)	2 (0.1%)	77 (5.7%)	43.1	232^nd of 331 public high schools	29.9%		27.7	293^rd of 328 public high schools	10.7%	61	< 50%	100.0	370.0	< 50%	82.0	74.4	89.5	≥ 50%	≥ 50%	≥ 50%	76.8	60.3	78.1	≥ 50%	≥ 50%	19.5	387.0	< 50%	< 50%	351.0	85.3	66.7	$13,255	$210	$13,045

Cities Near Zip Code 22604

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Winchester	0.09 mi	22	313^th
Stephenson	4 mi	1	246^th
Clear Brook	5.14 mi	1	342^nd
Stephens City	6.93 mi	2	324^th
White Post	7.15 mi	2	279^th

See the top VA Virginia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.