Best Public Schools in Zip Code 24088

Zip code 24088 is served by exactly one public school: Ferrum Elementary, a PK–5 school within Franklin County Public Schools, with no middle or high schools located within the zip code itself. With 281 students and nearly 89% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, this is a high-poverty elementary school that still manages to produce several bright spots worth highlighting for parents considering the area.

Because Ferrum Elementary is the only school in the zip code, its performance is the whole story. In the 2025–2026 school year, the school's strongest results came in 5th grade, where science proficiency hit 86.54%—roughly 18 points above the state average and nearly 9 points above the district—and reading proficiency reached 78.85%, exceeding both district and state averages. Fifth grade math also beat the state at 80.77%. However, lower elementary grades are more concerning: 3rd grade reading proficiency was just 63.04%, below the state average of 67.61%, and 4th grade Virginia Studies was a clear weak spot at 65.22%, far behind the district's 79.18%. The school has also experienced significant year-over-year swings, including a drop in 3rd grade math from 87.80% to 73.91%, which may reflect different cohorts of students moving through the grades rather than a sudden decline in quality.

Ferrum Elementary consistently earns a 3-star rating from the Virginia Department of Education, though its statewide percentile has slipped modestly from the 63rd to the 55th percentile over the past three years. Positive structural indicators include a favorable 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio and a chronic absenteeism rate of 13.8%, which is actually lower than both the district (15.4%) and state (14.8%)—an encouraging sign given the school's high poverty level. Overall, Ferrum Elementary is a solid, mid-tier school with genuine strengths in upper-grade science and reading, but with meaningful opportunities to improve early elementary literacy and 4th grade social studies, making it a school to watch for families seeking a stable elementary option in this rural Virginia zip code.