Summary:
The 23509 zip code area in Virginia is home to two schools - Academy for Discovery at Lakewood, a middle school, and Willard Elementary. While both schools serve predominantly economically disadvantaged student populations, Norfolk City Public Schools district, the standout performer is Academy for Discovery at Lakewood.
Academy for Discovery at Lakewood consistently outperforms both the district and state averages on standardized tests across a wide range of subjects and grade levels, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past three years. The school's diverse student body of 50.63% White, 32.41% African American, and smaller percentages of other races, coupled with its high free/reduced lunch rate of 97.91%, suggests it is effectively serving a predominantly economically disadvantaged population. In contrast, Willard Elementary lags behind the district and state in test scores and has received a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.
While Willard Elementary has a slightly lower student-teacher ratio of 13.6 students per teacher compared to Academy for Discovery at Lakewood's 14.3, the higher spending per student at Willard ($8,420 vs. $7,612) has not translated into better academic outcomes. This suggests that factors beyond just funding, such as curriculum, teaching quality, and school leadership, may be contributing to the significant performance gap between the two schools in the 23509 zip code area.
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