Best Public Schools in Zip Code 23803

Summary:

The 23803 zip code in Virginia is home to 7 schools, including 6 elementary schools and 1 middle school, spread across two school districts - Chesterfield County Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools. While some schools, such as Matoaca Middle and Matoaca Elementary, have relatively strong test scores, the Petersburg City Public Schools elementary schools (Cool Spring, Pleasants Lane, and Lakemont) lag significantly behind in academic performance.

The data reveals stark differences in school performance within the 23803 zip code. The Chesterfield County schools generally outperform the Petersburg City schools, with the latter having much lower test scores, the lowest statewide rankings, and 0-star ratings from SchoolDigger. This disparity may be linked to the high poverty levels and resource challenges faced by the Petersburg City schools, as evidenced by their extremely high free/reduced lunch rates. Additionally, all schools in the area struggle with high chronic absenteeism rates, which likely contribute to the academic struggles.

Despite the overall performance differences, a few schools stand out as bright spots. Matoaca Middle has relatively strong test scores in certain subjects, while Matoaca Elementary and Ettrick Elementary also demonstrate better-than-average academic performance. Addressing the challenges faced by the lower-performing schools, such as high poverty and chronic absenteeism, will be crucial to improving educational outcomes in this area.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Geometry (2025)	SOL Algebra I (2025)		SOL Mathematics (2025)					SOL Science (2025)		SOL Earth Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)						SOL Civics and Economics (2025)	SOL VA Studies (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Geometry 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central St. Hosp. Education Pr.	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	West Washington St Extended	Petersburg	23803	Dinwiddie County	Central State Hospital	No	No	No	No	(804) 524-7676																			(n/a)
Southside Va Training Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	Bldg 120	Petersburg	23803	Dinwiddie County	Southside Virginia Training Center	No	No	No	No	(804) 524-7340																			(n/a)
Ettrick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20910 Chesterfield Ave.	Ettrick	23803	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 520-6005	560	43	13.0	75.2%	104 (18.6%)	358 (63.9%)	64 (11.4%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.4%)	49.3	606^th of 1110 public elementary schools	45.4%		29	854^th of 1114 public elementary schools	23.3%	248				72.5	75.6	74.1			69.1			62.2	72.2	66.7					69.3	$10,664	$1,492	$9,173
Matoaca Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6627 River Rd	South Chesterfield	23803	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 590-3100	676	49	13.6	76.5%	348 (51.5%)	206 (30.5%)	80 (11.8%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.3%)	55.3	539^th of 1110 public elementary schools	51.4%		51.4	593^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	46.8%	54				58.2	72.3	83.2			87.1			52.7	77.7	86.1					69.1	$8,467	$500	$7,966
Matoaca Middle	Public	6-8	6001 Hickory Road	Petersburg	23803	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(804) 590-3130	775	52	14.9	76.3%	333 (43.0%)	324 (41.8%)	65 (8.4%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	45 (5.8%)	19.4	374^th of 419 public middle schools	10.7%		20.3	361^st of 417 public middle schools	13.4%	13	100.0	100.0	71.3				47.7	37.8		25.2	79.4				71.4	65.6	56.8	54.8		$8,561	$223	$8,338
Pleasants Lane Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Pleasants Lane	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7013	493	39	12.6	93.1%	15 (3.0%)	382 (77.5%)	82 (16.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	10 (2.0%)	1.5	1103^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	0.6%		1.9	1107^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.6%	4				45.1	37.0	21.9			8.1			35.4	44.6	24.0					20.3	$12,686	$4,777	$7,909
Lakemont Elementary	Public	K-5	51 Gibbons St	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7007	393	33	11.9	93.6%	17 (4.3%)	285 (72.5%)	81 (20.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.5%)	1.1	1107^th of 1110 public elementary schools	0.3%		0.5	1113^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.1%	6				47.5	16.7	27.9			32.8			27.1	12.5	29.5					10.4	$8,675	$1,541	$7,134
Cool Spring Elementary	Public	K-5	1450 Talley Avenue	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7002	540	37	14.5	94.3%	22 (4.1%)	461 (85.4%)	47 (8.7%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	1.3	1105^th of 1110 public elementary schools	0.5%		1.7	1108^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.5%	3				32.6	39.2	31.0			28.6			36.9	33.3	39.3					26.8	$5,417	$948	$4,469

Cities Near Zip Code 23803

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Petersburg	0.38 mi	12	360^th
South Chesterfield	2.27 mi	1	185^th
Ettrick	2.27 mi	1	220^th
Colonial Heights	3.83 mi	7	215^th
Chesterfield	4.43 mi	13	270^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.