Schools in Zip Code 23702

Zip code 23702 in Portsmouth, VA, is served by two public schools in Portsmouth City Public Schools — Cradock Elementary (grades K–6) and Cradock Middle (grades 7–8) — with no high school in the immediate area, meaning families face a school transition after 8th grade.

Both schools serve extremely high-poverty populations, yet they tell very different stories. Cradock Elementary is the area's bright spot: it improved from 39.7% to 48.0% overall proficiency in one year, with 6th Grade Reading jumping nearly 23 points to 67% and 4th Grade Reading rising 11 points. It also holds chronic absenteeism at 12.7%, below the state average of 14.8%, despite 100% free/reduced lunch eligibility. This is meaningful upward momentum, though the school still ranks in the bottom 7% of Virginia elementary schools. Cradock Middle is more of a contradiction. Its advanced math program is elite — Algebra I and Geometry proficiency sits near 90–100% — but grade-level learners are struggling badly, with only 25% proficiency in 7th Grade Math and roughly 47–49% in reading. When advanced math scores are excluded, the middle school's average actually fell slightly to 40.9%, meaning the overall picture flatters the typical 7th or 8th grader's experience.

Spending differences are notable but don't align with outcomes. Cradock Middle spends $13,319 per student with a 13.5:1 student–teacher ratio, far better than Cradock Elementary's $9,399 and 19.2:1 ratio. Yet the elementary school's grade-level proficiency is higher, and its attendance is much better. Chronic absenteeism at the middle school is 18.8%, over 6 points worse than the elementary school. This suggests the middle school years, academic tracking, and attendance matter more than money or class size alone. For parents, the key takeaway: Cradock Elementary is improving and worth watching, while Cradock Middle offers a strong accelerated math track but leaves its grade-level students far behind state averages — an important distinction when evaluating the school.