Summary:
Brunswick County Public Schools in Virginia has only one middle school, James S. Russell Middle, which serves students in grades 6-8. This school faces significant challenges, with a predominantly African American student population, consistently low academic performance, and a high percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
James S. Russell Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Virginia middle schools, declining from 392nd out of 415 schools in 2021-2022 to 382nd out of 422 schools in 2022-2023. The school's academic performance, as measured by SOL (Standards of Learning) test scores, is generally below the state and Brunswick County Public Schools district averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in mathematics ranged from 45.65% for 6th grade to 46.27% for 8th grade, compared to the state averages of 59.41% and 50.1%, respectively.
The high percentage of students (99.04%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch at James S. Russell Middle indicates a significant level of economic disadvantage among the student population. Additionally, the school's spending per student for the 2020-2021 school year was $8,258, which is below the state average, and the student-teacher ratio of 16.6 is slightly higher than the typical recommended ratio of 15:1 for middle schools. These factors suggest that the school may be facing resource allocation challenges that could be contributing to its academic performance issues.
Thank you for your feedback!