Best High Schools in Zip Code 23231

ZIP code 23231 is served by a single high school, Varina High, which enrolls about 1,420 students in grades 9–12 as part of Henrico County Public Schools, a district ranked below the state average. Varina High stands out for its dramatic improvement: its state ranking jumped from the 6th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 37th percentile in 2025–2026, and it improved on nine of eleven comparable SOL exam categories year-over-year. The school shows real academic strengths, especially among upperclassmen—12th-grade Biology proficiency hit 100%, 12th-grade English Reading reached 89.13%, and 10th- and 11th-grade Algebra I scores were well above district and state averages. These achievements are notable given that 86.27% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, a high-poverty indicator.

However, the school faces significant challenges. Chronic absenteeism is 26.9%, nearly double the state rate of 14.8%, and the dropout rate of 8.2% is well above the state's 5.0%. Graduation rates trail the state by about three points. Academically, the biggest red flag is 9th-grade Geometry: only 47.22% of students were proficient in 2025–2026, compared to 72.88% in the district and 85.88% statewide—a gap of nearly 39 points. Algebra II proficiency also lags behind district and state averages by more than 12 points. These struggles in foundational math courses suggest that the transition into high school is a vulnerable period, even as older students demonstrate stronger performance in reading, biology, and Algebra I.

The pattern at Varina High is clear: younger students, particularly in math, need more support, while upperclassmen tend to outperform state averages in several subjects. The school’s upward ranking trajectory, combined with pockets of strong academic achievement, indicates real progress, but attendance and dropout rates remain the biggest obstacles to sustainable improvement. For parents considering this area, Varina High is an improving school with meaningful strengths in upper-level coursework, yet it still has considerable work to do in 9th-grade math readiness and keeping students consistently in school. The data suggests that if the school can address these two areas, it is well-positioned to continue closing the gap with state averages.