Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 22973

Zip code 22973 is served by two elementary schools in Greene County Public Schools—Nathanael Greene Primary (grades PK–2) and Nathanael Greene Elementary (grades 3–5)—together enrolling about 693 students in a district ranked 88th out of 131 Virginia districts with a 2-star rating. Both schools serve high-poverty populations, with roughly 68–69% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, and both have chronic absenteeism rates above the state average of 14.8%.

Because Nathanael Greene Primary only serves grades PK–2, it has no SOL test data, leaving Nathanael Greene Elementary as the only school in the zip code with state rankings. Nathanael Greene Elementary currently ranks 783 out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools (30th percentile, 1 star), a slight dip from last year's 765 ranking. The school's performance is split by grade level: 4th grade is a bright spot with math, reading, and VA Studies near or above state averages, while 5th grade lags significantly—especially science, where only 45.5% of students are proficient versus 68.8% statewide, a 23.3-point gap.

The two schools have nearly identical resources, with per-pupil spending around $9,759–$9,888 and student–teacher ratios of 14.9–15.1, suggesting performance gaps are not driven by funding differences. Nathanael Greene Primary does post lower chronic absenteeism (17.5%) than Nathanael Greene Elementary (20.1%), even with nearly the same poverty rate. Year-over-year data at Nathanael Greene Elementary shows strong 4th-grade gains (reading up 13.9 points, VA Studies up 15.3 points) but sharp 5th-grade declines (math down 16.5 points, science down 15.9 points), suggesting a specific cohort of students may need targeted intervention rather than a school-wide crisis.