Best Public Schools in Zip Code 24614

Zip code 24614 serves the Grundy/Richlands area of southwest Virginia and contains three schools—Riverview Elementary/Middle, Richlands Middle, and Grundy High—with a combined enrollment of 1,518 students spanning pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The schools are split across two districts: Buchanan County Public Schools and Tazewell County Public Schools. All three serve predominantly low-income families, with free/reduced lunch eligibility from roughly 88% to over 100%, and chronic absenteeism is above the state average of 14.8% in every school.

Richlands Middle is the clear academic standout, ranking in the 68th percentile among Virginia middle schools and beating state averages in nearly every subject—71% proficiency in 8th grade math versus 46.9% statewide, and 83.7% in 8th grade reading versus 73.5%. Its district, Tazewell County Public Schools, is a 4-star district, and Richlands also has the lowest chronic absenteeism of the three at 21.4%. Riverview Elementary/Middle shines in lower grades—5th grade math at 79.1% and 8th grade Algebra I at 100%—but general 8th grade math is just 34.1% and 7th grade civics only 45.1%. Grundy High is the weakest academically, ranking in the 11th percentile, yet its graduation rate of 93.7% and dropout rate of 2.5% beat state averages.

Per-pupil spending is similar across the three schools ($8,300 to $9,000), with Richlands spending the most and having the lowest student-teacher ratio. All three have seen state rankings decline over three years: Riverview fell from the 51st to 40th percentile, Richlands from 81st to 68th, and Grundy from 20th to 11th. The gap between Richlands and the Buchanan County schools highlights the importance of district effectiveness—Tazewell County Public Schools is ranked 19th out of 131 Virginia districts, while Buchanan County Public Schools is 87th. For parents, this is a high-poverty area with serious attendance challenges, but Richlands proves strong outcomes are possible, while Grundy High and Riverview face more significant academic hurdles despite strong graduation numbers.