Summary:
Zip code 24162 contains just one middle school: Shawsville Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 with an enrollment of 193 students as part of Montgomery County Public Schools. The school stands out for its exceptional performance in advanced coursework, with 100 percent proficiency in Algebra I in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, matching its district and exceeding the state average. Earth Science proficiency is also a strength, holding steady at roughly 90 percent. In addition, 7th grade math proficiency jumped from 31.4 percent to 57.1 percent over the past year, moving the school above both district and state averages in that subject.
Despite these bright spots, Shawsville Middle's overall state ranking has declined for three straight years, from the 17th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 13th percentile in 2025–2026, and the school holds a 1-star rating. About 85 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and chronic absenteeism is 23.4 percent, roughly 1.6 to 1.7 times higher than the district rate of 13.6 percent and the state rate of 14.8 percent. Per-student spending is $4,140, and the student-teacher ratio is a very low 7.5 to 1, indicating small class sizes that have not yet translated into strong overall outcomes.
Shawsville Middle is something of a tale of two academic tracks. Advanced 8th graders excelled in Algebra I and Earth Science, but general 8th grade math and science proficiency lagged far behind state averages, at 28.6 percent and 13.3 percent respectively. Reading results were inconsistent, with 7th grade improving sharply to 71.7 percent while 6th grade fell to 44.2 percent. The combination of high poverty, high absenteeism, and low overall proficiency has kept the school near the bottom of Virginia rankings, even though its district ranks in the 61st percentile statewide. For parents, the school offers strong accelerated coursework and small classes, but chronic absenteeism and grade-level performance in core subjects remain major concerns.
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