Summary:
Zip code 24641 is served by a single elementary school, Richlands Elementary, which enrolls 576 students in grades PK through 5 as part of the Tazewell County Public Schools district. The school currently holds a strong state rank of 251st out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools, placing it in the 77th percentile with a 4-star rating.
Despite having 90.45% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Richlands Elementary outperforms state averages in nearly every core subject. In 2025-2026, reading proficiency was exceptional: 5th grade reading reached 89.01%, 4th grade reached 88.89%, and 3rd grade reached 75.31%—all well above state figures. The school also posted an outstanding 89.9% proficiency rate in 4th Grade Virginia Studies, surpassing the district by about 14 points and the state by more than 19 points. 5th Grade Math showed dramatic improvement, jumping from 68.82% to 87.91% year-over-year, while 3rd and 4th grade math also exceeded state averages. The one relative weakness is 5th Grade Science, which sits at 73.63%—above the state average but below the district average of 75.38%.
Chronic absenteeism stands out as the school's biggest challenge. At 25.1%, it is higher than the district's 23.8% and nearly double the state's 14.8%, meaning about one in four students is chronically absent. Still, the school maintains strong scores with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.7, and its ranking trend shows momentum—bouncing from 351st (3 stars) last year back up to 251st (4 stars) this year, approaching its 2023-2024 peak of 200th. For parents, Richlands Elementary proves that a high-poverty school can deliver above-average academic results, with particular strengths in reading and Virginia Studies, while attendance remains the key area for improvement.
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