Is Holston High a good school?

Holston High ranks 42 nd of 329 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Holston High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 250 students attended Holston High.

What is the racial makeup of Holston High?

Students at Holston High are 95% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Holston High?

Holston High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Rhea Valley Elementary Middle : Damascus Middle

Holston High

Summary:

Holston High is a public high school located in Damascus, Virginia, serving grades 9-12 and part of the Washington County Public Schools district, which is ranked 8th out of 130 districts in Virginia and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. With a student population of 245, Holston High consistently ranks among the top high schools in Virginia, maintaining a 4 or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and outperforming state and district averages on various SOL assessments.

Holston High's academic excellence extends across different student groups, with the school ranking particularly high for its male, female, and low socioeconomic status (SES) students. The school's proficiency rates in core subjects like Geometry, Algebra I, Biology, and English Reading are often 5-10 percentage points higher than the state and district averages. This level of inclusivity and support for diverse student populations is a notable strength of Holston High, which may be attributed to its relatively high per-student spending of around $10,000 and favorable student-teacher ratio.

When compared to nearby schools in the Washington County Public Schools district, such as John S. Battle High and Abingdon High, Holston High consistently outperforms its peers on various SOL assessments and maintains a higher statewide ranking. This suggests that Holston High is able to provide a more rigorous and effective educational experience for its students, which may be attributed to its higher resource allocation and more homogeneous student population.

Detail:

Public 9-12

21308 Monroe Rd
Damascus, VA 24236

(276) 739-4000

District: Washington County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
42^nd of 329 Virginia High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,124

Feeder schools for Holston High:

Elementary:	Rhea Valley Elementary
Middle:	Damascus Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 12.3

Number of students: 250

Racial breakdown:

White:

95.2%

Hispanic:

2.0%

Two or more races:

1.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 73.6%

See top rated Virginia high schools

Compare Holston High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Holston High ranks better than 87.2% of high schools in Virginia. It also ranks 3^rd among 4 ranked high schools in the Washington County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 76.88. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Holston High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Holston High has the smallest high school student body size in the Washington County Public Schools District. Racial makeup is: White (95.2%), Hispanic (2%), two or more races (1.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 73.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Holston High is 12.3, which is the lowest among 4 high schools in the Washington County Public Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Holston High employs 20.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Holston High is $10,124, which is the highest among 4 high schools in the Washington County Public Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Holston High:

SchoolDigger ranks Holston High 42^nd of 329 Virginia public high schools. (See Holston High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Washington County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Washington County Public Schools 8^th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Holston High

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Rank History for all students at Holston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile
2005	52.08	137^th	308	55.5%
2006	61.34	71^st	314	77.4%
2007	63.14	70^th	313	77.6%
2008	60.78	87^th	316	72.5%
2009	45.46	176^th	313	43.8%
2010	60.33	92^nd	317	71.0%
2011	54.43	134^th	320	58.1%
2012	63.34	76^th	321	76.3%
2013	59.77	89^th	321	72.3%
2014	61.10	76^th	322	76.4%
2015	65.74	68^th	322	78.9%
2016	65.16	65^th	321	79.8%
2017	60.52	94^th	324	71.0%
2018	66.27	59^th	326	81.9%
2019	53.74	132^nd	327	59.6%
2021	62.02	72^nd	327	78.0%
2022	74.40	25^th	325	92.3%
2023	84.26	7^th	326	97.9%
2024	76.88	42^nd	329	87.2%

See the entire list of Virginia High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Holston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	89.05	7^th	320	97.8%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Holston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	82.89	8^th	320	97.5%
2024	67.32	98^th	322	69.6%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Holston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	87.41	5^th	321	98.4%
2024	84.17	12^th	322	96.3%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Holston High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	VA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	74.67	27^th	315	91.4%
2024	67.04	88^th	314	72.0%

See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Holston High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	445	445
1990	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	419	419
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	389	389
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	391	391
1993	305	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	305
1994	293	1	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	295
1995	329	1	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	331
1996	329	1	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	331
1997	341	0	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	343
1998	351	0	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	353
1999	332	0	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	335
2000	321	2	3	1	0	n/a	n/a	-4	323
2001	316	2	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	321
2002	323	2	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	328
2003	323	2	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	328
2004	320	1	0	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	323
2005	313	1	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	315
2006	313	1	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	316
2007	292	2	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	297
2008	305	1	4	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	311
2009	310	4	4	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	319
2010	294	3	3	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	300
2011	315	1	1	2	0	0	3	0	322
2012	291	2	0	3	0	0	5	0	301
2013	282	1	0	2	0	0	4	0	289
2014	300	1	0	2	1	0	6	0	310
2015	286	1	0	5	1	0	6	0	299
2016	306	1	0	10	1	0	5	0	323
2017	307	1	0	10	1	0	7	0	326
2018	282	2	0	10	1	0	6	0	301
2019	270	1	0	9	0	0	5	0	285
2020	272	1	0	5	0	0	6	0	284
2021	246	1	1	5	0	0	6	0	259
2022	256	1	1	7	0	0	7	0	272
2023	232	2	1	4	0	0	6	0	245
2024	238	2	1	5	0	0	4	0	250

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Holston High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	445	24.8	17.9	n/a
1990	419	24.8	16.8	n/a
1991	389	25.9	15.0	n/a
1992	391	26.4	14.8	n/a
1993	305	19.4	15.7	n/a
1994	295	22.7	n/a	21.4
1995	331	n/a	0.0	26.9
1996	331	n/a	0.0	26.9
1997	343	n/a	0.0	24.5
1998	353	n/a	0.0	25.8
1999	335	29.0	11.6	33.7
2000	323	n/a	0.0	37.3
2001	321	2.0	160.5	39.3
2002	328	30.0	10.9	42.7
2003	328	30.0	10.9	42.7
2004	323	28.0	11.5	34.1
2005	315	26.0	12.1	48.6
2006	316	29.0	10.9	47.5
2007	297	23.9	12.4	48.1
2008	311	24.5	12.7	50.5
2009	319	21.4	14.9	43.9
2010	300	21.8	13.7	50.7
2011	322	24.1	13.3	46.6
2012	301	24.0	12.5	51.8
2013	289	24.0	12.0	50.9
2014	310	23.3	13.2	51.6
2015	299	24.0	12.4	53.5
2016	323	25.0	12.9	54.2
2017	326	20.8	15.6	52.1
2018	301	23.9	12.5	57.5
2019	285	23.9	11.8	57.5
2020	284	19.9	14.2	62.7
2021	259	21.4	12.0	n/a
2022	272	24.1	11.2	65.4
2023	245	23.0	10.6	82.4
2024	250	20.2	12.3	73.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Holston High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	445	24.8	17.9	n/a
1990	419	24.8	16.8	n/a
1991	389	25.9	15.0	n/a
1992	391	26.4	14.8	n/a
1993	305	19.4	15.7	n/a
1994	295	22.7	n/a	21.4
1995	331	n/a	0.0	26.9
1996	331	n/a	0.0	26.9
1997	343	n/a	0.0	24.5
1998	353	n/a	0.0	25.8
1999	335	29.0	11.6	33.7
2000	323	n/a	0.0	37.3
2001	321	2.0	160.5	39.3
2002	328	30.0	10.9	42.7
2003	328	30.0	10.9	42.7
2004	323	28.0	11.5	34.1
2005	315	26.0	12.1	48.6
2006	316	29.0	10.9	47.5
2007	297	23.9	12.4	48.1
2008	311	24.5	12.7	50.5
2009	319	21.4	14.9	43.9
2010	300	21.8	13.7	50.7
2011	322	24.1	13.3	46.6
2012	301	24.0	12.5	51.8
2013	289	24.0	12.0	50.9
2014	310	23.3	13.2	51.6
2015	299	24.0	12.4	53.5
2016	323	25.0	12.9	54.2
2017	326	20.8	15.6	52.1
2018	301	23.9	12.5	57.5
2019	285	23.9	11.8	57.5
2020	284	19.9	14.2	62.7
2021	259	21.4	12.0	n/a
2022	272	24.1	11.2	65.4
2023	245	23.0	10.6	82.4
2024	250	20.2	12.3	73.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Holston High

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$141 (1.6%)	$8,457 (98.4%)	$8,598
2020	$74 (0.8%)	$8,775 (99.2%)	$8,849
2021	$77 (0.8%)	$10,047 (99.2%)	$10,124

Data source: Virginia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Holston High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 132^nd of 327 High schools	Ranks 7^th of 326 High schools	38.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
End of Course Geometry (Holston High)	93	100	7%
End of Course Geometry (Washington County Public Schools)	88	94	6%
End of Course Geometry (Virginia)	83	80	3%
End of Course Algebra I (Holston High)	98	94	4%
End of Course Algebra I (Washington County Public Schools)	90	92	2%
End of Course Algebra I (Virginia)	86	80	6%
End of Course Biology (Holston High)	91	76	15%
End of Course Biology (Washington County Public Schools)	86	79	7%
End of Course Biology (Virginia)	83	70	13%
End of Course English Reading (Holston High)	80	95	15%
End of Course English Reading (Washington County Public Schools)	88	90	2%
End of Course English Reading (Virginia)	86	85	1%
End of Course VA and US History (Holston High)	33	50	17%
End of Course VA and US History (Washington County Public Schools)	59	38	21%
End of Course VA and US History (Virginia)	68	38	30%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	285	245	14%
African American	1	2	100%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	1
Hispanic	9	4	55.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	270	232	14.1%
Two or More Races	5	6	20%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	57.5%	82.4%	24.9%

Schools Near Holston High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SOL Geometry (2024)	SOL Algebra I (2024)			SOL Biology (2024)		SOL English Reading (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 Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 10th Grade	SOL Algebra I 11th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL English Reading 12th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Holston High	Public	9-12	21308 Monroe Rd	Damascus	24236	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 739-4000	250	20	12.3	73.6%	238 (95.2%)	2 (0.8%)	5 (2.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	76.9	42^nd of 329 public high schools	87.2%		84.3	7^th of 326 public high schools	97.9%	35	95.8	90.0			88.2	66.7	91.0		$10,124	$77	$10,047
Patrick Henry High	Public	9-12	31437 Hillman Hwy	Glade Spring	24340	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 739-3700	389	28	14.1	73.3%	355 (91.3%)	5 (1.3%)	18 (4.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	78.5	32^nd of 329 public high schools	90.3%		73.9	59^th of 326 public high schools	81.9%	27	100.0	91.7	75.0		88.8		90.6		$8,652	$145	$8,507
Abingdon High	Public	9-12	705 Thompson Dr	Abingdon	24210	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 739-3200	877	60	14.5	73.2%	759 (86.5%)	20 (2.3%)	48 (5.5%)	17 (1.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.5%)	55.8	165^th of 329 public high schools	49.8%		66.9	103^rd of 326 public high schools	68.4%	62	92.5	69.4	72.4	71.4	81.6	60.0	85.8	72.7	$6,554	$109	$6,444
Chilhowie High	Public	9-12	1160 East Lee Hwy	Chilhowie	24319	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 646-8966	400	28	14.2	100.0%	375 (93.8%)	4 (1.0%)	17 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	77.2	39^th of 329 public high schools	88.1%		74.1	57^th of 326 public high schools	82.5%	18	95.7	91.1			84.2		90.4		$7,470	$671	$6,799
Northwood High	Public	9-12	305 Panther Ln	Saltville	24370	Smyth County	Smyth County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 496-7751	230	19	12.2	100.9%	214 (93.0%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (4.3%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	82.6	12^th of 329 public high schools	96.4%		74.3	55^th of 326 public high schools	83.1%	43	100.0	97.4			80.8		93.6		$8,868	$867	$8,002
John S. Battle High	Public	9-12	21264 Battle Hill Dr	Bristol	24202	Washington County	Washington County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(276) 642-5300	648	42	15.6	74.2%	613 (94.6%)	3 (0.5%)	10 (1.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.8%)	80	22^nd of 329 public high schools	93.3%		71.8	72^nd of 326 public high schools	77.9%	50	95.4	95.5	89.5		84.7		90.0		$6,064	$267	$5,797
Southwestern Va Mental Health Institute	Public	6-12	340 Bagley Circle	Marion	24354	Smyth County	Southwest Virginia Mental Health Institute	No	No	No	No	(276) 783-1222																			(n/a)

Holston High

Holston High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Washington County Public Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Holston High

Rank History for all students at Holston High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Holston High

Rank History for Female students at Holston High

Rank History for Male students at Holston High

Rank History for White students at Holston High

Enrollment information for Holston High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Holston High

Student/Teacher Ratio Holston High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Holston High

Impact of COVID-19 on Holston High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Holston High

Holston High

Patrick Henry High

Abingdon High

Chilhowie High

Northwood High

John S. Battle High

Southwestern Va Mental Health Institute

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