Best Public Schools in Zip Code 23517

The 23517 zip code area of Norfolk, Virginia is home to three public schools: Matthew Fontaine Maury High, Blair Middle, and Ghent K-8. These schools serve a high-need student population, with all three having extremely high percentages of free/reduced lunch recipients, indicating a community facing significant socioeconomic challenges.

Among the three schools, Ghent K-8 stands out as the highest-performing, with consistently strong test scores that exceed the Norfolk City Public Schools district and state averages. Ghent K-8 is ranked 261 out of 1,114 Virginia elementary schools and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, the highest of the three schools. In contrast, Matthew Fontaine Maury High and Blair Middle generally have lower test scores compared to the district and state averages.

The racial diversity of the schools also varies, with Matthew Fontaine Maury High having a more diverse student population, while Ghent K-8 has a higher percentage of White students. Additionally, the spending per student at Blair Middle is lower than the typical per-student spending in the state of Virginia, which could be a contributing factor to the school's lower performance.