Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Best Public Schools in Zip Code 23185

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Virginia rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

At a glance

Schools

4,171

Students

Districts

Top rankedWaller Mill Elementary183^rd of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

Matthew Whaley Elementary up 155 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Clara Byrd Baker Elementary 11 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

See the top-ranked Virginia schools →

Summary:

Zip code 23185 contains 8 schools serving approximately 4,171 students, including five elementary schools (K-5, with one PK-5) and three middle schools (grades 6-8), with no high schools located within the zip code itself. The schools are split between two districts: Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and York County Public Schools. This district divide is the dominant story here, as York County schools occupy the top ranking spots and consistently outperform W-JCC schools across nearly every metric.

The top performers in the zip code are all York County schools. Waller Mill Elementary ranks 183rd of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools (84th percentile) with SOL proficiency rates in the high 80s to low 90s, while Magruder Elementary ranks 217th (80th percentile) and is the most consistent elementary school in the area. Queens Lake Middle is the top middle school, ranking 115th of 416 (72nd percentile), with 100% proficiency in Algebra I and 97.87% in Geometry. Among W-JCC schools, Berkeley Middle stands out despite having a 65% free/reduced lunch rate, posting excellent advanced math scores and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the zip code (7.6%). Clara Byrd Baker Elementary is the best-performing W-JCC elementary school, with strong year-over-year improvements.

At the other end, James River Elementary is the lowest-ranked school in the zip code (922nd of 1,111, 17th percentile), with proficiency rates far below state averages, the highest chronic absenteeism rate (14.5%), and the highest per-student spending ($12,450). James Blair Middle ranks 223rd of 416 (46th percentile) with concerning on-grade math scores of 37-39%. A striking pattern across middle schools is that advanced math students score near 100% proficiency while on-grade math scores lag significantly, indicating a heavily tracked system. Higher spending does not equal better results, and low absenteeism does not guarantee success. For families, the York County Public Schools are the clear standouts, while Matthew Whaley Elementary is a W-JCC school showing dramatic improvement worth watching.

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SOL Geometry (2026)		SOL Algebra I (2026)		SOL Algebra II (2026)	SOL Mathematics (2026)						SOL Science (2026)		SOL English Reading (2026)						SOL Civics and Economics (2026)	SOL VA Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Geometry 7th Grade	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra II 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James River Elementary	Public	K-5	8901 Pocahontas Trail	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 887-1768	449	38	11.8	64.4%	108 (24.1%)	80 (17.8%)	219 (48.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.1%)	22.3	922^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	17.0%		30.6	820^th of 1110 public elementary schools	26.1%	102						57.1	65.0	68.4				54.0		41.7	62.5	55.3					66.1	$12,450	$1,079	$11,371
Berkeley Middle	Public	6-8	1118 Ironbound Rd	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 229-8051	666	46	14.6	65.0%	332 (49.8%)	128 (19.2%)	117 (17.6%)	21 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (10.2%)	61	157^th of 416 public middle schools	62.3%		68.6	124^th of 419 public middle schools	70.4%	33		100.0	98.2	95.7					66.7	55.1	38.3		72.6				75.1	79.2	76.1	83.2		$9,250	$348	$8,903
Matthew Whaley Elementary	Public	K-5	301 Scotland St	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 229-1931	485	34	14.1	63.9%	197 (40.6%)	110 (22.7%)	128 (26.4%)	13 (2.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.2%)	52.5	586^th of 1111 public elementary schools	47.3%		38	741^st of 1110 public elementary schools	33.2%	155						78.5	73.2	76.1				70.4		69.6	73.2	74.3					62.2	$10,698	$1,031	$9,667
Clara Byrd Baker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3131 Ironbound Rd	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 221-0949	457	42	11.0	44.9%	248 (54.3%)	79 (17.3%)	63 (13.8%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	54 (11.8%)	68.4	367^th of 1111 public elementary schools	67.0%		59.7	479^th of 1110 public elementary schools	56.8%	112						80.2	73.9	78.4				78.4		75.6	76.9	83.8					83.6	$11,459	$665	$10,794
James Blair Middle	Public	6-8	101 Longhill Road	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 603-6400	505	38	13.2	65.1%	238 (47.1%)	85 (16.8%)	124 (24.6%)	13 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (8.5%)	52.2	223^rd of 416 public middle schools	46.4%		50.4	220^th of 419 public middle schools	47.5%	3	≥ 50%	100.0	100.0	92.6	≥ 50%				60.2	39.2	37.8		62.9				79.4	77.7	70.7	77.4		$10,251	$380	$9,871
Magruder Elementary	Public	K-5	700 Penniman Rd	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	York County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 220-4067	610	42	14.5	37.4%	297 (48.7%)	125 (20.5%)	98 (16.1%)	18 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (11.8%)	79	217^th of 1111 public elementary schools	80.5%		77.6	252^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	77.3%	35						85.2	83.7	84.3				80.4		86.5	83.5	82.4					87.0	$9,100	$717	$8,383
Queens Lake Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	124 W Queens Dr	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	York County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 220-4080	554	42	13.2	31.9%	264 (47.7%)	107 (19.3%)	93 (16.8%)	18 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	69 (12.5%)	68.2	115^th of 416 public middle schools	72.4%		74.5	90^th of 419 public middle schools	78.5%	25		97.9	100.0	100.0					66.1	47.1	61.6		70.3				83.4	84.0	82.4	75.8		$9,841	$365	$9,476
Waller Mill Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	314 Waller Mill Rd	Williamsburg	23185	James City County	York County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(757) 220-4060	445	31	14.3	38.7%	219 (49.2%)	78 (17.5%)	72 (16.2%)	12 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (14.4%)	81.2	183^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	83.5%		85	123^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	88.9%	60						91.9	87.8	78.8				76.3		90.7	86.5	84.0					89.0	$11,011	$663	$10,348

Cities Near Zip Code 23185

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Williamsburg	0.62 mi	21	129^th
Toano	9.11 mi	1	167^th
Newport News	9.33 mi	49	328^th
Fort Eustis	10.76 mi	1	110^th
Hayes	10.94 mi	2	127^th

See the top VA Virginia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.