Summary:
In zip code 23005 (Ashland, Virginia), two public elementary schools—Ashland Elementary and Elmont Elementary—serve grades PK through 5 as part of Hanover County Public Schools, a district ranked in the top 21% of Virginia districts. Ashland is the larger school (675 students) and has a higher poverty rate (80.6% free/reduced lunch) than Elmont (383 students; 68.7%). Their student-teacher ratios are similar (11.8 and 12.3), but both rank in the bottom half of Virginia elementary schools for 2025–2026: Ashland is 731st out of 1,111 (34th percentile) and Elmont is 599th (46th percentile).
Elmont is the higher-performing school academically. It beats Ashland in every math test, 5th-grade science, and 5th-grade reading, with a school-wide math average of 78.6% versus Ashland’s 66.8%. Elmont also has outstanding attendance—only 5.9% chronic absenteeism compared to the state’s 14.8%—and reported per-student spending of $14,720. However, Elmont’s state rank has declined from the 55th percentile last year to the 46th this year, driven by large drops in 4th-grade reading and 5th-grade math. Ashland, while lower-ranked, shows bright spots: it outperforms Elmont in 4th-grade Virginia Studies (79.5% vs. 69.8%) and 4th-grade reading (71.3% vs. 61.5%). Ashland’s biggest concern is 5th-grade math, where just 56.5% of students are proficient—about 16 points below the state average.
Both schools fall below Hanover County’s reading averages at every grade level, underscoring a disconnect between the district’s high ranking and these two schools’ results. Meanwhile, Ashland’s higher poverty rate likely contributes to its lower overall scores, but Elmont’s recent downward trend is worth watching. For parents, Elmont offers stronger academics and attendance, while Ashland has specific instructional strengths despite serving a larger, higher-poverty population. Both remain part of a strong district, but families should weigh Elmont’s recent slide and Ashland’s 5th-grade math struggles carefully.
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