Best Public Schools in Petersburg, VA

Summary:

The city of Petersburg, Virginia is home to 7 schools serving grades K-12, including 4 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. These schools face significant challenges, with all of them ranking in the bottom 25% of schools in Virginia and several in the bottom 5%. The data reveals stark disparities between the performance of the Petersburg schools and the state averages, suggesting systemic issues and resource gaps that the district is facing.

Among the standout schools, Matoaca Middle School, which is part of the Chesterfield County Public Schools district, has stronger test scores and a higher school ranking compared to the other middle schools in the data set. In contrast, the Petersburg City Public Schools district, which includes the other 6 schools, struggles with extremely low test scores, high poverty rates, and poor overall performance.

Within the Petersburg City Public Schools district, Walnut Hill Elementary stands out with some of the strongest test scores, outperforming the other elementary schools. However, the data consistently shows low academic performance across grade levels within each school, indicating broader, systemic issues that will require a multi-faceted approach to address, such as targeted interventions and additional resources to support the high-poverty student populations.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SOL Writing (2024)		SOL Geometry (2024)	SOL Algebra I (2024)						SOL Mathematics (2024)						SOL Chemistry (2024)	SOL Biology (2024)				SOL Science (2024)		SOL Earth Science (2024)	SOL English Reading (2024)								SOL VA and US History (2024)	SOL World History I (2024)			SOL World History II (2024)	SOL Civics and Economics (2024)	SOL VA Studies (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Writing 10th Grade	SOL Writing 11th Grade	SOL Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 7th Grade	SOL Algebra I 8th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 11th Grade	SOL Algebra I 12th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Mathematics 6th Grade	SOL Mathematics 7th Grade	SOL Mathematics 8th Grade	SOL Chemistry 11th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Biology 12th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL Science 8th Grade	SOL Earth Science 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 6th Grade	SOL English Reading 7th Grade	SOL English Reading 8th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	SOL VA and US History 11th Grade	SOL World History I 9th Grade	SOL World History I 10th Grade	SOL World History I 12th Grade	SOL World History II 10th Grade	SOL Civics and Economics 8th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central St. Hosp. Education Pr.	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	West Washington St Extended	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Central State Hospital	No	No	No	No	(804) 524-7676																			(n/a)
Southside Va Training Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	Bldg 120	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Southside Virginia Training Center	No	No	No	No	(804) 524-7340																			(n/a)
Pleasants Lane Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Pleasants Lane	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7013	515	38	13.5	101.4%	19 (3.7%)	420 (81.6%)	64 (12.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	8 (1.6%)	1.9	1107^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.6%		1.8	1107^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.6%											38.1	16.7	13.2									10.3			46.3	31.7	29.0												8.4	$7,628	$1,188	$6,440
Lakemont Elementary	Public	K-5	51 Gibbons St	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7007	404	32	12.6	104.5%	17 (4.2%)	295 (73.0%)	85 (21.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0.5	1113^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.1%		2.8	1098^th of 1114 public elementary schools	1.4%	15										12.5	21.6	19.7									36.1			24.6	26.0	31.7												9.5	$9,196	$1,885	$7,311
Cool Spring Elementary	Public	K-5	1450 Talley Avenue	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7002	529	37	14.2	104.3%	15 (2.8%)	464 (87.7%)	43 (8.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	1.7	1108^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.5%		1.5	1109^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.4%	1										37.8	35.4	31.6									18.6			33.7	41.8	36.8												20.3	$7,255	$973	$6,282
Walnut Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	300 S Boulevard	Petersburg	23805	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7005	539	39	13.8	100.2%	32 (5.9%)	459 (85.2%)	35 (6.5%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	5	1081^st of 1114 public elementary schools	3.0%		12.3	1001^st of 1114 public elementary schools	10.1%	80										37.8	52.4	16.7									27.3			50.0	44.4	38.0												21.5	$7,106	$905	$6,201
Westview Early Childhood Education Center	Public	PK	1100 Patterson Street	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(804) 862-7010	405	24	16.8	101.2%	16 (4.0%)	349 (86.2%)	27 (6.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)								(n/a)
Vernon Johns Middle	Public	6-8	3101 Homestead Drive	Petersburg	23805	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 862-7020	901	59	15.1	101.8%	30 (3.3%)	780 (86.6%)	76 (8.4%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.9%)	4.3	408^th of 417 public middle schools	2.2%		4	411^th of 422 public middle schools	2.6%	3					69.2								20.7	11.2	24.2							32.1					43.0	42.2	38.4								54.3		$8,038	$1,510	$6,528
Petersburg High	Public	9-12	3101 Johnson Road	Petersburg	23805	Petersburg city	Petersburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(804) 862-7096	1,171	78	15.0	96.1%	46 (3.9%)	966 (82.5%)	130 (11.1%)	9 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.4%)	12 (1.0%)	19.7	315^th of 329 public high schools	4.3%		21.6	307^th of 326 public high schools	5.8%	8	83.7	93.8	67.5			61.8	76.0	68.8	64.3							84.6	70.5	41.0	47.2	80.0										69.1	64.7	31.1	40.4	21.4	36.0	34.2			$10,764	$820	$9,944
Matoaca Middle	Public	6-8	6001 Hickory Road	Petersburg	23803	Petersburg city	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(804) 590-3130	806	57	14.1	75.7%	367 (45.5%)	334 (41.4%)	54 (6.7%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	42 (5.2%)	20.3	361^st of 417 public middle schools	13.4%		28.9	328^th of 422 public middle schools	22.3%	33				100.0	69.8								37.1									31.0	81.6				64.4	58.1	59.7								65.5		$7,348	$124	$7,224

Cities Near Petersburg

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Prince George	1.67 mi	4	224^th
Hopewell	2.81 mi	7	353^rd
Colonial Heights	3.63 mi	7	251^st
Ettrick	5.1 mi	1	328^th
Disputanta	5.18 mi	4	160^th

See the top VA Virginia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.