Schools in Zip Code 23704

Zip code 23704 in Portsmouth, VA is home to three schools in the Portsmouth City Public Schools district: I.C. Norcom High (grades 9-12), Brighton Elementary (grades K-6), and Park View Elementary (grades K-6), all serving a high-poverty community where nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals. The district itself is ranked 114 out of 131 Virginia districts, placing it in the 13th percentile with a 1-star rating.

I.C. Norcom High is the only high school in the area and has shown steady improvement, climbing from the 12th to the 35th percentile in statewide rank over two years and earning 2 stars. It has genuine strengths in World History I, Biology, and Geometry, but faces serious challenges with a 25.5% chronic absenteeism rate and a dropout rate of 10.3%, more than double the state average. Among the elementary schools, Brighton Elementary stands out with 83.93% proficiency in 5th-grade math, well above the 72.39% state average, plus a remarkably low 5% chronic absenteeism rate. Park View Elementary shines in 6th-grade math at 76.27% proficiency and in 5th-grade science, while also offering the smallest class sizes in the zip code with an 11.7:1 student-teacher ratio and the highest per-pupil spending at $11,253.

The clearest pattern is that attendance is an elementary strength but a high school problem: both elementary schools have absenteeism below the 14.8% district rate, while Norcom's rate is nearly double that. The most persistent academic weaknesses across the area are early literacy and Algebra I readiness, with 3rd and 4th grade reading scores far below state averages and 12th-grade writing at Norcom falling to just 26.92% proficiency. Since there are no middle schools in 23704, students must leave the zip code for middle school, making the transition from elementary to high school harder to track. Overall, Brighton Elementary holds a modest academic edge over Park View Elementary, but both sit below statewide averages, while I.C. Norcom High is trending in the right direction despite significant obstacles.