Schools in Zip Code 23324

Zip code 23324 in Chesapeake, VA is home to 6 schools within the Chesapeake City Public Schools district, serving roughly 2,971 students from pre-K through 8th grade, with no high schools in the immediate area. The district itself is a 4-star system ranked 34th out of 131 Virginia districts, but every school in this zip code reports a free/reduced-price lunch rate above 70%, and the weighted average chronic absenteeism of about 19.4% is nearly double the district's 11.1% rate.

Among the ranked schools, Truitt Intermediate is the top performer at the 20th percentile statewide and is the only school at or above the state average in a core subject — 3rd grade math at 74.36% vs. 74.04% statewide. Oscar Smith Middle, the only middle school, stands out for advanced math with 100% proficiency in 7th grade Algebra I and 98.53% in 8th grade Algebra I, despite an overall rank in the 14th percentile; it also has the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.2) and the lowest per-student spending ($11,774). At the other end, Thurgood Marshall Elementary is the most challenged school, ranking in the 8th percentile with major gaps in 5th grade math (46.43% vs. 72.39% state) and 3rd grade reading (41.67% vs. 67.61% state). The two PK–2 primary schools, Rena B. Wright Primary and Portlock Primary, have no test scores, but Rena B. Wright posts the zip's highest chronic absenteeism at 28.6%.

Several patterns are worth noting. Spending more does not clearly produce better outcomes: Rena B. Wright spends the most at $16,494 per student yet struggles with attendance, while Oscar Smith spends the least and achieves the strongest advanced math results. Chronic absenteeism affects 5 of 6 schools above the state average of 14.8%, including George W. Carver Intermediate, which has the lowest rate in the zip at 14.1% but still ranks in the 15th percentile. Science and social studies gaps are the most consistent weakness — Carver's 4th grade VA Studies proficiency is 35.44% vs. 70.52% statewide, and Oscar Smith's 8th grade science is 41.28% vs. 64.72% statewide. Overall, families should know this is a pocket of concentrated poverty and underperformance within a strong district, with the brightest spots being Truitt's early-grade math and Oscar Smith's Algebra I pathway.