Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 23456

Zip code 23456 is served by a single middle school—Landstown Middle—which educates grades 6 through 8 in the Virginia Beach area and enrolls 1,272 students as part of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, a district ranked 29th out of 131 in Virginia with a 4-star rating. Landstown Middle spends $13,304 per student, maintains a 17:1 student-teacher ratio, and serves a student body where 39.31% qualify for free or reduced lunch. Chronic absenteeism is a clear strength at 9.4%, well below the district rate of 10.1% and the state rate of 14.8%.

Academically, Landstown Middle shines brightest in advanced coursework and reading. Eighth-grade Geometry and seventh-grade Algebra I both post a perfect 100% proficiency, while eighth-grade Algebra I reaches 96.34%—all above state averages. Earth Science proficiency is similarly impressive at 97.13%, and English Reading exceeds the state average in every grade, ranging from 79.95% in sixth grade to 83.64% in seventh grade. However, on-grade-level mathematics is a major concern: only 40.11% of seventh graders and 42.55% of eighth graders are proficient, both below state averages of 51.11% and 46.86%, respectively. General eighth-grade Science also dipped sharply from 73.97% to 61.86%, now trailing the state average of 64.72%, while eighth-grade Civics & Economics fell from 83.42% to 78.61%.

Despite continued strengths in literacy and accelerated math, Landstown Middle's state ranking has slipped three consecutive years, from 89th (79th percentile, 4 stars) in 2023-2024 to 143rd (66th percentile, 3 stars) in 2025-2026. This decline aligns with year-over-year drops in eighth-grade science, eighth-grade math, eighth-grade civics, and sixth-grade reading. For parents, the picture is one of a school with exceptional advanced offerings and solid reading instruction, but with a widening gap between students in accelerated math tracks and those in standard mathematics classes. The school's low chronic absenteeism and above-average performance in several subjects are encouraging, yet monitoring core middle-grade math and science will be essential to reversing the recent ranking trend.