Best Public Schools in Buchanan, VA

Summary:

The city of Buchanan, Virginia is home to two highly-ranked schools, James River High and Buchanan Elementary, both of which serve students from the surrounding Botetourt County Public Schools district.

James River High stands out as a top-performing school, ranked 15th out of 329 high schools in Virginia and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school consistently achieves high test scores, with the majority of students scoring proficient or better on SOL exams across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 100% of 9th graders were proficient or better in Algebra II, and 94.12% were proficient or better in Geometry. Buchanan Elementary, while not as highly ranked as James River High, still performs well compared to state averages, with 90.24% of 5th graders scoring proficient or better in mathematics in the 2023-2024 school year.

Both schools have a predominantly white student population, with James River High at 92.17% and Buchanan Elementary at 91.64%. Additionally, Buchanan Elementary has a higher free/reduced lunch rate of 46.62%, compared to 31.52% at James River High. These demographic differences may indicate potential equity concerns that warrant further investigation.

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 Algebra II (2024)	SOL Mathematics (2024)			SOL Biology (2024)			SOL Science (2024)	SOL English Reading (2024)				SOL World History I (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 Geometry 9th Grade	SOL Algebra I 9th Grade	SOL Algebra II 9th Grade	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Biology 9th Grade	SOL Biology 10th Grade	SOL Biology 11th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 11th Grade	SOL World History I 9th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Buchanan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	255 Schoolhouse Rd	Buchanan	24066	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 254-2084	300	23	12.9	47.3%	281 (93.7%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.7%)	81.2	194^th of 1114 public elementary schools	82.6%		75.4	262^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	76.5%	68				86.1	89.5	90.2				92.7	65.1	84.2	90.2			86.8	$9,236	$719	$8,517
James River High	Public	9-12	9906 Springwood Rd	Buchanan	24066	Botetourt County	Botetourt County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 254-1121	461	30	15.2	33.6%	426 (92.4%)	10 (2.2%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.3%)	81.8	15^th of 329 public high schools	95.4%		80.2	22^nd of 326 public high schools	93.3%	7	94.1	96.0	100.0				100.0	77.1	69.2					92.5	89.8		$9,081	$244	$8,837

Cities Near Buchanan

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Fincastle	10 mi	3	28^th
Montvale	10.88 mi	1	164^th
Troutville	10.95 mi	4	48^th
Eagle Rock	11.1 mi	1	74^th
Natural Bridge Station	11.79 mi	1	313^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.