Summary:
Zip code 24082 in Critz, Virginia contains exactly one school, Hardin Reynolds Memorial School, a small middle school serving grades 4 through 7 with 203 students, and it operates within Patrick County Public Schools, a district ranked 10th out of 131 in Virginia with a 5-star rating.
Because this is the only school in the area, all comparisons are made against district and state benchmarks. The school serves an extremely high-poverty population—98.52% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch—yet chronic absenteeism is just 9.5%, far better than the state average of 14.8%, showing that students are consistently showing up to learn. Academically, the school's record is mixed. It has slipped from the 88th percentile statewide in 2023-2024 to the 54th percentile in 2025-2026, and its star rating dropped from 4 stars to 3 stars. However, notable bright spots remain: 4th grade reading (87.76%) and VA Studies (79.59%) beat both district and state averages, while 4th grade math (77.55%) exceeds the state average. Even 7th grade math (73.33%) remains more than 22 points above the state average of 51.11%.
The biggest concern is a steep year-over-year decline across many subjects. From 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, 7th grade reading fell from 84.62% to 71.11%, 5th grade reading dropped from 80.85% to 68.52%, 5th grade science fell from 72.34% to 61.11%, and 7th grade math dropped from 84.62% to 73.33%. The weakest areas are now in 5th and 6th grades, especially math and science, where proficiency falls well below both district and state levels. Even with these declines, the school benefits from an excellent district context and its low absenteeism provides a strong foundation for reversing the trend. For parents, this is a school with genuine strengths in the lower grades and a clear need for targeted support in the middle grades.
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