Summary:
Zip code 24319 in Virginia is home to a single middle school, Chilhowie Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 in Chilhowie, Virginia, and is part of Smyth County Public Schools. With 273 students enrolled, Chilhowie Middle is the only middle school option in this area, which limits direct peer comparisons but allows for a focused look at how this school measures up against district and state benchmarks.
Chilhowie Middle has earned a 4-star rating and ranks 74th out of 416 Virginia middle schools (82nd percentile) for the 2025–2026 school year. The school has shown strong improvement over the past few years, climbing from a rank of 99th in 2023–2024 to 63rd in 2024–2025 before settling at 74th this year. The school features a favorable 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio and exceeds both district and state averages in nearly every tested subject. Notable highlights include a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the 8th-grade Algebra I SOL exam and a 94.25% proficiency rate in 6th-grade math — more than 30 points above the state average. Reading proficiency is also strong, with 6th graders posting 88.51% proficiency compared to the state average of 73%.
Despite the strong academic picture, there are a few areas worth attention. Chronic absenteeism stands at 19.6%, above both the district (17.0%) and state (14.8%) rates. Proficiency in math and reading declines as students progress from 6th to 8th grade, which may reflect increasingly rigorous coursework. The 8th-grade Geography score dipped slightly below the state average in 2025–2026 (66.33% vs. 68.33%), though this follows a year in which the school was well above the state average in that subject. Spending per student is $8,773, and the reported free/reduced lunch figure of 101.47% appears to be a data artifact, though it suggests a high proportion of economically disadvantaged students. Overall, Chilhowie Middle is a high-performing school that delivers impressive results while serving a student population with significant economic challenges.
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