Summary:
ZIP code 24219 is home to just one elementary school, Union Primary in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, serving grades PK–4 as part of Wise County Public Schools. Since there is only one school in this ZIP code, there are no direct local comparisons, but Union Primary stands out strongly on statewide measures. The school earned a SchoolDigger rank of #49 out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools for the 2025–2026 school year, placing it in the top 5% (96th percentile) with a 5-star rating. Its district is also a top performer, ranked #2 out of 131 districts in Virginia.
Academically, Union Primary excels across nearly every subject. In the 2025–2026 school year, 3rd grade math proficiency was 91.74% and 4th grade math hit 94.31%, both roughly 20 points above state averages. English reading proficiency was 83.47% in 3rd grade and 92.68% in 4th grade, while 4th grade Virginia Studies reached 93.50%. Math is clearly a school strength, and the school improved significantly from the prior year in 3rd grade math (+4.44 points), 4th grade math (+3.20 points), and Virginia Studies (+5.35 points). The only relative weak point is 3rd grade reading, which trails the school's own 4th grade reading by about 9 points and the district by nearly 6 points, though it still remains well above the state average.
Union Primary achieves these results while serving a student body where 90.11% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, making it a notable high-poverty, high-performing school. The student-teacher ratio of 13.2 suggests relatively small class sizes that may contribute to student success. One area worth monitoring is chronic absenteeism, which stood at 20.8% in 2024–2025 — about 6 percentage points higher than both the district (15.0%) and state (14.8%) — yet academic performance has remained strong. Overall, families in ZIP code 24219 have access to an excellent elementary school that consistently outperforms state averages in reading, math, and social studies.
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