Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 23148

ZIP code 23148 is home to just one elementary school: Lawson-Marriott Elementary, which serves grades PK–6 in Saint Stephens Church, Virginia, as part of King and Queen County Public Schools. With 178 students and an 11:1 student-to-teacher ratio, this is a small, tight-knit school serving a high-poverty area—102.25% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that indicates universal meal programs and essentially universal economic need. Because there is only one school in the ZIP code, the most useful comparisons are against district and statewide averages.

The clearest bright spot at Lawson-Marriott is reading. Across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 SOL results, the school averaged 62.7% reading proficiency, beating the district average of 60.6%, though still lagging the state's 71.7%. The 2025-26 4th-grade cohort was especially strong: 72.2% in reading, 72.2% in VA Studies (beating the state average of 70.5%), and 61.1% in math—outperforming the district in all three subjects. Chronic absenteeism is another hidden strength at 13.7%, better than the district's 21.1% and even slightly below the state's 14.8%. This suggests that despite high economic need, students are showing up to school regularly, which is an encouraging foundation for learning.

The biggest challenges are math and science. The school's math proficiency averages 48.1% versus 53.4% for the district and 71.0% for the state, while science sits at 44.2% proficiency. The 2025-26 5th-grade math result was especially concerning at just 26.1% proficiency, a sharp drop from the prior year's 47.6%. However, small cohorts can cause large year-to-year swings: 4th-grade VA Studies jumped from 50% to 72.2% in a single year, and some reading scores approach state averages. The school has improved from the 8th percentile in 2023-24 to the 15th percentile in 2025-26, maintaining a 1-star rating. Focused math instruction, particularly in upper elementary grades, along with continued strong attendance, offers the clearest path for this school to keep climbing.