Summary:
ZIP code 23220 in Richmond, Virginia is home to 5 public schools—2 elementary, 1 middle, and 2 high schools—serving 1,590 students within Richmond City Public Schools, a district ranked 118th out of 131 in Virginia. All reporting schools serve an almost entirely low-income student body (roughly 99–100% free/reduced lunch eligibility), yet this single ZIP code contains both one of Virginia's best high schools and one of its worst.
Open High is the clear standout: ranked 5th out of 331 Virginia high schools, it posts a 100% graduation rate, near-perfect SOL scores in reading, writing, geometry, and biology, and just 4.6% chronic absenteeism. William Fox Elementary is the strongest elementary school, with proficiency rates near or above state averages in 3rd grade math (75%) and 5th grade reading (78.69%) despite 100% poverty. At the other extreme, Richmond Success Academy is ranked 330th out of 331 high schools, with a 43.5% graduation rate, 65.5% chronic absenteeism, and 0% proficiency in 8th grade reading. George W. Carver Elementary ranks last among all Virginia elementary schools, with 3rd grade math proficiency at just 24.29% versus the state's 74.04%. Dogwood Middle is two schools in one: advanced students shine (100% in Algebra I), but general education results are weak (7.27% in 8th grade science).
Chronic absenteeism is the strongest predictor of outcomes: the two successful schools have single-digit absenteeism, while the two most struggling have rates above 47%. Smaller class sizes do not guarantee success—Richmond Success Academy has the lowest student-teacher ratio (8.3) yet the worst results. Some data points are unreliable, including Open High's 101.17% free/reduced lunch figure (a likely error) and Richmond Success Academy's $917 per-student spending figure from 2020-2021. Despite these quirks, this ZIP code demonstrates that attendance and school culture matter more than demographics or class size alone.
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