Summary:
Zip code 23834 is home to 6 schools — 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school — serving roughly 3,613 students across Colonial Heights City Public Schools and Chesterfield County Public Schools, in an area marked by high poverty and elevated chronic absenteeism.
Most schools here face significant economic challenges, with a weighted free/reduced-price lunch rate around 94% and every school exceeding Virginia's 14.8% chronic absenteeism average. There is also a notable spending gap within the same zip code: North Elementary spends $13,020 per student, while Marguerite F. Christian Elementary spends just $8,932. The Colonial Heights district schools cluster in the $11,000–$13,000 range, making the Chesterfield County school a clear outlier. The brightest spots are Tussing Elementary and North Elementary. Tussing, despite having the highest poverty rate in the area (99.39% FRL), is the highest-ranked elementary school at the 61st percentile and beat state averages in every major 2025-2026 SOL subject. North Elementary posts exceptional upper-grade math and science scores — 91.18% proficiency in 4th grade math — but struggles with 3rd grade reading at just 56.14%. Colonial Heights Middle excels at accelerating students into Algebra I (94.83% proficiency), and Colonial Heights High keeps its dropout rate below the state average.
However, there are real concerns. Marguerite F. Christian Elementary is the lowest-performing school in the zip code (27th percentile) despite having the lowest poverty rate, with 4th grade reading at 61.26% versus the state's 73.70%. Reading is a systemic weakness across the area, with early-grade literacy trailing state averages by 5–7 points at most schools. Chronic absenteeism is most severe at Colonial Heights High at 29.9%, and its VA & US History proficiency of 27.59% is a major red flag. Lakeview Elementary sits in the middle, near state averages but showing year-to-year volatility.
Thank you for your feedback!