Best Public Schools in Zip Code 22645

ZIP code 22645 contains just one public school, Middletown Elementary, a PK-5 elementary school serving 648 students in Frederick County Public Schools. Because there are no middle schools, high schools, or alternative schools within the ZIP code, families in this area have a single public school option for grades PK through 5, after which students must travel outside 22645 for secondary school. Middletown Elementary serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged population, with 65.1% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and maintains a student-teacher ratio of 16.2 with per-pupil spending of $10,537.

Academically, Middletown Elementary shows notable strengths in mathematics relative to its district. On the 2025-2026 Virginia SOL exams, the school outperformed Frederick County Public Schools in all three tested math grades, and 4th grade math proficiency of 74.4% exceeded the state average of 73.3%. Reading is the school's most concerning area, with proficiency below state averages in every grade. The 3rd grade reading result of 58.3% is especially notable, falling below both the district average of 62.7% and the state average of 67.6%. Encouragingly, 5th grade science proficiency improved dramatically from 47.2% in 2024-2025 to 61.6% in 2025-2026, and 5th grade math improved by 14.1 percentage points over the same period, though some of these swings may reflect cohort variation.

The school has maintained a stable 2-star rating, ranking in the 33rd to 36th percentile of Virginia elementary schools over the past three years. This context is important because Frederick County Public Schools itself ranks 104 out of 131 Virginia districts. Middletown Elementary outperformed its district in 7 of 8 tested subject and grade combinations, suggesting it is a relatively strong school within a below-average district. Chronic absenteeism of 14.7% is essentially at the state average. For parents, the biggest opportunity for improvement lies in early-grade reading, while the most encouraging signs are the sharp gains in 5th grade math and science. With no secondary schools in the ZIP code, understanding the feeder pattern to middle and high school is especially important for families planning ahead.