Summary:
There is just one elementary school serving zip code 23421: Metompkin Elementary in Parksley, Virginia, a PK–5 school within Accomack County Public Schools.
Metompkin Elementary enrolls 435 students and has a strong attendance culture, with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.0% compared to 10.1% for the district and 14.8% statewide. Its standout academic success is 4th grade Virginia Studies, where 82.05% of students scored proficient — well above the district (69.55%) and state (70.52%) — and a remarkable 25.7-point improvement over the prior year. Fifth grade reading is another relative strength, at 67.61% proficiency, slightly ahead of the district and close to the state average. The school also has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.5 to 1 and per-pupil spending of $9,541.
However, the overall picture is challenging. Metompkin has ranked in the bottom 15% of Virginia elementary schools for three straight years, earning 1 star each year and placing 964th out of 1,111 schools for 2025–2026. Across all eight SOL tests, the school averages 54.42% proficiency versus 63.02% for the district and 71.59% for the state. Math is a serious concern: proficiency dropped roughly 9 to 11 points in every grade from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, leaving 3rd grade at 43.86%, 4th grade at 49.06%, and 5th grade at 56.34%. Science also trails significantly, at 43.66% versus 57.49% in the district. Early-grade reading remains weak, though 5th grade reading shows the school can be competitive. The high-poverty context, reflected in a universal meal-eligibility rate above 100%, helps explain some of the struggles, but the strong attendance and impressive Virginia Studies results show Metompkin is capable of much more. The path forward involves stabilizing math instruction and building on the clear academic strengths already present.
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