Summary:
Zip code 23839 encompasses the small rural community of Dendron, Virginia, and is served entirely by the three schools of Surry County Public Schools, which together educate 691 students across grades PK-12. The district is ranked 61st out of 131 Virginia districts and holds a 3-star rating. The three schools represent the full educational pipeline: Surry Elementary (PK-4, 292 students), Luther P. Jackson Middle (5-8, 201 students), and Surry County High (9-12, 198 students). All three schools serve overwhelmingly low-income populations, with more than 92% of students at every school qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
Surry County High stands out for its exceptional graduation and dropout metrics: a 97.7% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate, both far better than state averages. Luther P. Jackson Middle is the academic standout in math and science, with 8th grade math proficiency at 76.74% versus 46.86% statewide and 8th grade science at 84% versus 64.72% statewide. Surry Elementary shines in Virginia Studies at 85.71% proficiency. The high school also excels in Algebra I (93.75%) and World History I (86.36%).
Despite high poverty, all three schools post chronic absenteeism rates below the Virginia average of 14.8%, with Luther P. Jackson Middle the lowest at 9.2%. Per-student spending rises sharply across grade levels, from $12,531 at the elementary school to $25,350 at the high school, where the student-teacher ratio is just 6.1. However, the main areas of concern are 3rd grade reading (59.09% proficiency), 7th grade math and civics, and high school English reading and writing, which all trail state averages. Over the past three years, the high school's ranking has improved dramatically from the 33rd to the 56th percentile, while the elementary school has slid from the 60th to the 46th percentile.
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