Summary:
Zip code 24015 is served by a single public high school, Patrick Henry High, which enrolls approximately 2,030 students in grades 9–12 as part of Roanoke City Public Schools. This large, high-poverty school stands out as the only high school in the area, and it is a relative bright spot within a district that ranks in the bottom 11% of Virginia school divisions.
Patrick Henry High has made meaningful progress in recent years, moving from the very bottom of Virginia's school rankings to a 1-star rating for two consecutive years. It consistently outperforms its district average across many subjects, especially in mathematics: 9th-grade Algebra II proficiency reaches 96.5%, and 11th-grade Algebra I hits 92.6%, both above state averages. Upper-grade English also shows strength, with 11th-grade reading at 81.7%. However, major weaknesses remain, particularly in Earth Science (just 15.6% proficient in 9th grade versus 74.8% statewide) and 10th-grade writing (18.5% proficient). Grade-level gaps within the same subject are striking—10th-grade writing proficiency is only 18.5%, but 11th-grade writing jumps to 64.0%—likely reflecting student selection and course sequencing.
Attendance and graduation present mixed challenges. Chronic absenteeism affects 31.7% of students, more than double the state rate of 14.8%, while the graduation rate of 89.7% falls below the state's 92.3% but far exceeds the district's 82.8%. The dropout rate of 8.2% is better than the district's 13.0% but still higher than the state's 5.0%. With 87.39% of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, Patrick Henry High serves a economically disadvantaged population, yet it achieves notable success in Algebra and upper-grade English. For parents in zip code 24015, this school offers solid math instruction and improving graduation outcomes, but families should be aware of the serious challenges with chronic absenteeism, Earth Science, and early high school writing and history skills.
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