Summary:
Zip code 22801, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is home to exactly one middle school: Thomas Harrison Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 771 students as part of Harrisonburg City Public Schools.
Because Thomas Harrison Middle is the only middle school in the area, it defines the local landscape. The school stands out for a remarkable 100% proficiency rate in Algebra I among 8th graders in 2025-2026, far surpassing the state average of 93.26%. However, general 8th-grade math proficiency sits at only 41.98%, below the state's 46.86%, suggesting that a select group of students excels in advanced math while many others struggle. English reading is the school's biggest challenge, with proficiency rates around 54-57% across grades 6-8, roughly 15-19 points below the state average. Science (58.54%) and Civics & Economics (60.00%) also trail the state. Notably, the school outperforms its district in nearly every subject, even though the district ranks in the bottom 7% of Virginia districts. With 86.77% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the school serves a high-poverty population, yet chronic absenteeism (14.3%) is close to the state average (14.8%), which is a positive sign for attendance.
For parents, Thomas Harrison Middle offers a stable, well-resourced environment — the student-teacher ratio is a favorable 13.4 and per-student spending is $12,006 — but academic results remain in the bottom fifth of Virginia schools, with a consistent 1-star rating and a state rank around 327-340 out of roughly 416-419 schools over the past three years. Year-over-year data shows modest improvements in math (6th, 7th, and 8th grades all rose), while reading and civics saw slight declines. The school is one of the stronger performers within its struggling district, but families should be aware that literacy proficiency lags significantly behind state averages, making reading support a key area to watch.
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