Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 23231

Zip code 23231 in Richmond, VA is home to five elementary schools from Henrico County Public Schools, serving grades PK–2 through PK–5 with a combined enrollment of roughly 1,933 students and poverty rates above 86% at every campus. Henry D. Ward Elementary stands out as the highest-ranked school in the area at 809th out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools, despite spending the least per student ($9,747) and having the highest student–teacher ratio. George F. Baker Elementary is the most improved, climbing from the 8th to the 19th percentile in one year, with 5th grade math and science scores (74.24%) that beat both district and state averages. Varina Elementary leads the zip in 3rd grade reading (58.24%) and math (52.75%), but its 5th grade scores drop sharply. Montrose Elementary ranks lowest at 1,081st despite spending more per student than Ward or Baker, while Anthony P. Mehfoud Elementary serves only PK–2, leaving it without test scores or a state ranking.

The clearest area-wide weakness is early literacy: 3rd grade reading proficiency ranges from just 28.07% at Ward to 58.24% at Varina, with every school falling well below the district average of 62.9% and the state average of 67.61%. Counterintuitively, chronic absenteeism does not match performance patterns — Ward and Baker have the highest absenteeism rates (17.7% and 17.8%) yet rank highest, while Montrose and Varina have lower absenteeism but weaker overall results. Spending also fails to predict outcomes, as the top-ranked school spends the least and the lowest-ranked schools spend the most.

The split-grade structure between Mehfoud (PK–2) and Varina (3–5) creates a data blind spot, but combined they serve 604 students with lower chronic absenteeism (around 13%) than Ward or Baker. There is also a remarkable 272-place gap between the top and bottom ranked schools within the same district, proving that district-level ratings hide substantial variation between schools in this zip code. For parents, the standout bright spots are Ward's strong 5th grade science and Baker's state-beating upper-grade math and science, while early literacy remains the most urgent area needing attention across all five schools.