Summary:
Zip code 22980 in Virginia is home to just one high school, Waynesboro High, serving grades 9–12 with 926 students as part of Waynesboro City Public Schools. The school serves a high-poverty community, with roughly 95% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and it spends about $9,452 per student with a student-teacher ratio of 14.8:1.
Waynesboro High is on a clear upward trajectory. Its state rank improved dramatically from 304th out of 329 schools (8th percentile, 0 stars) in 2023–2024 to 217th out of 331 (34th percentile, 2 stars) in 2025–2026 — a jump from outperforming roughly 8% of Virginia high schools to roughly 34%. In 2025–2026, the school posted 15 above-state results out of 21 reported SOL score rows. Particularly impressive results include 95% proficiency in 10th-grade English Reading (state: 63.9%), 94.6% in 9th-grade Geometry, 88.9% in 11th-grade Biology, and 90% in 12th-grade VA/US History. However, performance is uneven: 11th-grade Writing proficiency is just 39.3% versus a 79.9% state average, and 9th-grade Biology and Earth Science both trail state averages significantly.
The school's biggest challenges lie beyond test scores. Chronic absenteeism stands at 31.1%, more than double the state rate of 14.8%. The dropout rate of 7.0% exceeds the state's 5.0%, and the graduation rate of 87.6% trails the state's 92.3%. Despite these challenges, the recent momentum is encouraging. Waynesboro High outperforms its district's overall rank — the district sits in the 16th percentile statewide while the high school sits in the 34th percentile — and most subject areas improved year over year. Sustaining this progress will likely require targeted attention to attendance, student completion, and 11th-grade writing instruction.
Thank you for your feedback!