Summary:
Zip code 23116 in Mechanicsville, Virginia, is served by two outstanding middle schools—Chickahominy Middle and Oak Knoll Middle—both part of Hanover County Public Schools and both serving grades 6–8 with a combined enrollment of 2,061 students. The district itself ranks 27th of 131 in Virginia, yet these two schools stand even higher: Chickahominy Middle ranks 12th of 416 Virginia middle schools for 2025-26 (97th percentile) and Oak Knoll Middle ranks 23rd (94th percentile).
Chickahominy Middle posts the stronger overall academic record, beating Oak Knoll Middle in 8 of 11 SOL subject-grade combinations in 2025-26, with the largest advantages in 6th grade math (88.9% vs. 82.6%) and 7th grade math (91.5% vs. 84.0%). Oak Knoll Middle, however, offers its own advantages: a lower student-teacher ratio (11.9:1 vs. 14.4:1), higher per-student spending ($11,152 vs. $9,713), and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch (16.8% vs. 20.6%). Oak Knoll Middle also surpasses Chickahominy Middle in 8th grade science (85.4% vs. 81.2%) and 8th grade reading (88.4% vs. 87.0%).
Both schools post proficiency rates that tower over Virginia averages in nearly every subject, and both achieved 100% proficiency in Geometry and Algebra I in 2025-26, indicating powerful accelerated math pathways. Chronic absenteeism is remarkably low as well: 4.0% at Chickahominy Middle and 5.4% at Oak Knoll Middle versus the statewide rate of 14.8%. One trend worth noting is that Oak Knoll Middle's ranking has slipped from 10th in 2023-24 to 23rd today, while Chickahominy Middle has held steady at 11th–13th. Still, both schools remain elite options, and families in 23116 are fortunate to have two excellent public middle schools to choose from.
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