Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Best Public Schools in Zip Code 23602

New rankings! Virginia test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

At a glance

Schools

4,118

Students

Top rankedB.C. Charles Elementary693^rd of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

L.F. Palmer Elementary up 158 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Menchville High 13.6 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

2★

1★

See the top-ranked Virginia schools →

Summary:

ZIP code 23602 contains 6 schools: 5 elementary schools and 1 high school, all part of Newport News City Public Schools, serving a high-poverty area where free/reduced-lunch eligibility is between 95% and 100% at nearly every school and chronic absenteeism exceeds the state average at all six campuses. Total enrollment is 4,118 students, with 2,411 across the elementary schools—Kiln Creek Elementary, Willis A. Jenkins Elementary, T. Ryland Sanford Elementary, L.F. Palmer Elementary, and B.C. Charles Elementary—and 1,707 at Menchville High.

Among the elementary schools, B.C. Charles Elementary is the highest-ranked, sitting at 693rd out of 1,111 schools statewide (38th percentile) and posting 3rd and 4th grade math scores that exceed the Virginia state average. L.F. Palmer Elementary is the most improved, climbing roughly 230 places in its statewide ranking since 2023-2024, while also recording the lowest chronic absenteeism (15.2%) and lowest per-student spending ($8,954) in the area. T. Ryland Sanford Elementary leads the ZIP code in 5th grade science (73.1%) and 5th grade reading (71.8%), but has the highest chronic absenteeism at 22.0%. Menchville High's graduation rate of 96.3% and dropout rate of 0.4% are both significantly better than state averages, though its test scores are mixed—Algebra I, Algebra II, Geography, and Biology are strong, while English Reading and history proficiency lag.

The most encouraging trend is year-over-year improvement in every elementary school and every tested subject from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with science gaining 6.6 points to land within 1.4 points of the state average. The ZIP code has no middle school, meaning students must transition outside the area for grades 6-8. Overall, ZIP 23602 is a high-poverty, academically challenged area, but the consistent upward momentum in elementary achievement—especially at B.C. Charles Elementary and L.F. Palmer Elementary—suggests meaningful progress is underway, and Menchville High provides a strong graduation foundation despite its academic struggles.

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SOL Geometry (2026)	SOL Algebra I (2026)			SOL Algebra II (2026)			SOL Mathematics (2026)			SOL Biology (2026)				SOL Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (2026)						SOL Geography (2026)	SOL VA Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 12th Grade	SOL Algebra II 9th Grade	SOL Algebra II 10th Grade	SOL Algebra II 11th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Biology 12th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 10th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	SOL Geography 9th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kiln Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1501 Kiln Creek Pkwy	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7961	553	26	21.2	102.7%	90 (16.3%)	308 (55.7%)	89 (16.1%)	13 (2.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (9.0%)	32.4	817^th of 1111 public elementary schools	26.5%		38.3	736^th of 1110 public elementary schools	33.7%	81								71.1	58.8	70.6					63.2	60.2	63.9	64.7					61.9	$10,588	$1,047	$9,541
B.C. Charles Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	701 Menchville Road	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7750	388	19	20.4	99.7%	141 (36.3%)	158 (40.7%)	44 (11.3%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	39 (10.1%)	43.7	693^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	37.6%		35.1	770^th of 1110 public elementary schools	30.6%	77								75.7	74.3	62.5					62.5	72.5	71.6	65.8					63.5	$10,075	$314	$9,761
L.F. Palmer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Palmer Lane	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 881-5000	465	26	17.8	98.3%	31 (6.7%)	190 (40.9%)	202 (43.4%)	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.3%)	39.6	739^th of 1111 public elementary schools	33.5%		22.4	897^th of 1110 public elementary schools	19.2%	158								73.5	59.3	69.2					69.2	59.3	62.6	70.1					73.6	$8,954	$152	$8,802
Menchville High	Public	9-12	275 Menchville Rd	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(757) 886-7722	1,707	126	13.6	95.7%	534 (31.3%)	650 (38.1%)	365 (21.4%)	43 (2.5%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	110 (6.4%)	37.5	257^th of 331 public high schools	22.4%		39.3	250^th of 328 public high schools	23.8%	7	69.8	76.0	90.9	91.7	95.7	56.5	63.6				88.8	60.2	55.8	73.8					50.0	81.9	60.0	100.0		$9,595	$359	$9,236
T. Ryland Sanford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	480 Colony Road	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 886-7778	498	27	18.4	99.0%	118 (23.7%)	209 (42.0%)	94 (18.9%)	18 (3.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (11.2%)	33.7	806^th of 1111 public elementary schools	27.5%		30.8	818^th of 1110 public elementary schools	26.3%	12								55.8	67.4	60.3					73.1	54.7	74.4	71.8					54.8	$9,561	$749	$8,812
Willis A. Jenkins Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	80 Menchville Road	Newport News	23602	Newport News city	Newport News City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(757) 881-5400	507	27	18.7	100.0%	88 (17.4%)	274 (54.0%)	97 (19.1%)	12 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	33 (6.5%)	25	893^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	19.6%		12.3	1005^th of 1110 public elementary schools	9.5%	112								67.6	55.3	53.7					68.7	59.2	55.3	65.7					56.5	$9,502	$651	$8,851

Cities Near Zip Code 23602

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Newport News	1.17 mi	49	328^th
Fort Eustis	3.59 mi	1	110^th
Yorktown	3.8 mi	12	61^st
Grafton	4.01 mi	1	38^th
Langley AFB	5.7 mi	1	15^th

See the top VA Virginia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.