Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 24201

Zip code 24201 contains two elementary schools in Bristol, VA, both part of Bristol City Public Schools: Virginia Primary School, serving grades PK-1 with 422 students, and Virginia Intermediate School, serving grades 2-5 with 655 students, which together form a complete elementary pipeline for the area.

The data paints a picture of two schools facing significant challenges but with notable bright spots. Virginia Intermediate School is the only school with test data, and its overall state ranking of 702 out of 1,111 elementary schools places it at the 37th percentile with a 2-star rating. The school reports an extremely high poverty concentration, with 99.85% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and a chronic absenteeism rate of 24.0% — well above the state rate of 14.8%. Its 4th grade is the clear standout, outperforming the Virginia state average in reading (79.9% vs. 73.7%), Virginia Studies (79.0% vs. 70.5%), and math (73.6% vs. 73.3%). However, 3rd grade dropped sharply in 2025-2026, with math proficiency falling to 56.4% and reading to 58.8%, both well below state averages. Virginia Primary School has no academic data, but it stands out for its much lower student-teacher ratio of 11.4 compared to Virginia Intermediate's 18.7, meaning more adult support per child in the earliest grades.

Perhaps the most important takeaway for parents is how the two schools work together as a pipeline: the primary school's early instruction feeds directly into the intermediate school's results. The 4th grade turnaround — reading proficiency jumping 9.3 points to nearly 80% — suggests strong instruction at that level, while the 3rd grade decline could signal emerging challenges in early elementary learning. Notably, Virginia Intermediate School's scores closely mirror the district average across nearly all subjects, reflecting the broader profile of Bristol City Public Schools, which ranks in the bottom third of Virginia districts. Families should consider the high poverty rate and elevated absenteeism as important context, but the 4th grade success shows meaningful pockets of achievement within this school.