Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 24060

In zip code 24060 (Blacksburg, VA), five elementary schools serve PK/K through 5th grade as part of Montgomery County Public Schools, offering a high-performing cluster with below-average chronic absenteeism and strong SOL proficiency overall. Kipps Elementary currently leads the group with a #67 state ranking, 91.4% average SOL proficiency, and strong year-over-year momentum. Harding Avenue Elementary remains excellent (88.4% proficiency, lowest absenteeism at 4.4%) but has slipped from #37 to #126 over three years, partly due to a sharp drop in 5th grade Reading. Gilbert Linkous Elementary is the consistency anchor, holding steady at #201 with an 84.3% average and the lowest student-teacher ratio (12.1). Margaret Beeks Elementary sits in the middle (85.4% proficiency, #226) but shows slight declines and the highest chronic absenteeism in the group at 10.9%.

Every school in this zip code beats Virginia's chronic absenteeism rate of 14.8%, and all five exceed state averages in most subjects. A shared strength is 4th grade performance: Kipps, Harding, and Margaret Beeks all post 4th grade Math and Reading scores above 93%, and VA Studies is universally strong. The biggest vulnerability is 5th grade Reading, especially at Harding (78.9%) and Prices Fork Elementary (78.2%). Prices Fork stands out for its 86.9% free/reduced lunch rate—the highest by far—yet it improved from 70.7% to 75.4% average proficiency and even beat the state in 5th grade Math (89.3% vs. 72.4%). However, its reported per-student spending of $1,819 is a glaring outlier compared to $9,379-$10,254 at the other four schools, which warrants further investigation.

For parents, the clear top choice right now is Kipps Elementary, combining top academic results, low poverty, and strong attendance. Harding Avenue is historically elite but trending down, while Gilbert Linkous offers dependable, balanced performance. Prices Fork is the most improved school and a resilience story, though its scores remain lowest due to high poverty. Margaret Beeks is solid but worth monitoring as absenteeism edges up. Overall, this is a strong district cluster—families can expect above-average schools, but with meaningful variation, so school-level data matter when choosing.