Summary:
Zip code 24311 is served by a single public school, Atkins Elementary, a PK-5 school in Smyth County Public Schools with 168 students. The school serves an almost entirely economically disadvantaged population, with 99.4% of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, and it maintains a favorable 9.7:1 student-teacher ratio with per-student spending of $10,733.
Academically, Atkins Elementary shows a mixed picture compared with its district and state. In 2025–2026, 5th-grade reading proficiency was a bright spot at 83.33%, exceeding both the district (80.15%) and state (72.42%), and 4th-grade reading in 2024–2025 reached 87.5%. However, math proficiency lagged the district across all tested grades in the latest year, with 4th-grade math at just 65.38% versus 79.85% district-wide. The school's statewide rank is modest, hovering around the 38th–55th percentile in recent years, even though its district ranks 17th out of 131 districts in Virginia.
Chronic absenteeism is a major concern at 19.9%, well above the district (17.0%) and state (14.8%), and this likely contributes to inconsistent performance. With such a small enrollment, year-to-year proficiency swings can be dramatic—5th-grade math fell from 82.61% to 66.67% in one year. Reading is a relative strength, while math needs targeted intervention. Since Atkins Elementary is the only school in the zip code, families have no other elementary option within 24311, making its role in the community's educational pipeline especially important despite the challenges of poverty and absenteeism.
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