Best Public Schools in Zip Code 23513

Zip code 23513 in Norfolk, Virginia is served by 6 schools in Norfolk City Public Schools — 4 elementary schools (K-5), 1 middle school (6-8), and 1 high school (9-12) — together enrolling 4,667 students in a high-need area where free/reduced-price lunch eligibility ranges from 88.9% to 108.1% and per-pupil spending ranges from $8,022 to $10,886. The district ranks 112 out of 131 in Virginia (15th percentile), and no school in the zip code ranks above the 14th percentile statewide. Norview Elementary is the strongest school academically, ranking 956/1111 (14th percentile) with an overall proficiency average of about 55.7%, and it also spends the most per student at $10,886. It outperformed the district in 4th Grade Math (61.4% vs. 56.4%), 4th Grade Reading (68.4% vs. 62.9%), and 5th Grade VA Studies (64.1% vs. 61.1%).

Among the other elementary schools, Sherwood Forest Elementary stands out for attendance — its 9.4% chronic absenteeism rate is the lowest in the zip code and well below the district's 17.9% — and it posts the strongest 3rd Grade Reading score (58.1%), though its 5th Grade VA Studies score drops to 37.3%. Tanners Creek Elementary is mid-pack with a 50.9% overall average, while Coleman Place Elementary is declining rapidly, falling from 998/1114 to 1085/1111 over three years, with 4th Grade Reading dropping from 63.5% to 33.3%.

Norview Middle and Norview High are both bottom-ranked (4th and 5th percentiles statewide) but show bright spots. At Norview Middle, advanced-course students thrive — 8th Grade Geometry (88.9%), Earth Science (86.0%), and 7th Grade Civics (77.1%) all near or above state averages — while general 6th Grade Math proficiency is just 10.6% vs. the state's 63.2%. At Norview High, upper-level STEM is a strength: 9th Grade Algebra II (95.4%), 9th Grade Earth Science (80.8%), and 12th Grade Biology (83.3%) exceed state averages. But the school faces a social studies crisis (10th Grade VA/US History at 3.6%), a graduation rate of 80.9%, and a dropout rate of 13.5% — nearly three times the state rate of 5.0%. Chronic absenteeism rises with grade level, from 9.4–16.5% at the elementary schools to 21.5% at Norview High, making attendance a key differentiator across the zip code.