By Deb Belt
How’s this for thorough: You can find out if your district or city has the best schools of any grade level, public and private, in Virginia.
Niche.com, which specializes in all different types of rankings, released a new 2019 list slightly different than its usual rankings. This time around, Niche ranked what it says are the top 125 schools in Virginia, including both private and public schools, and spanning elementary, middle and high schools. (See the full list below.)
In this list, Niche prefers private schools. The top private school entry was The Potomac Schooland seven of the top 10 institutions listed were all private schools.
Niche’s methodology is based on an analysis of academic and student-life data from the US Department of Education along with test scores, and feedback from Niche.com users. You can read the methodology by clicking here.
Here are the top 125 schools in Virginia for 2019:
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Maggie Walker Governor’s School, Richmond
- The Potomac School, private, McLean
- Episcopal High School, private, Alexandria
- The Madeira School, private, McLean
- Flint Hill School, private, Oakton
- Norfolk Academy, private, Norfolk
- McLean High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Woodberry Forest School, private, Woodberry Forest
- Collegiate School, private, Richmond
- Chatham Hall, private, Chatham
- St. Christopher’s School, private, Richmond
- Woodson High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Oakton High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- St. Anne’s – Belfield School, private, Charlottesville
- Washington Lee High School, Arlington Public Schools
- Madison High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Chantilly High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Langley High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- St. Catherine’s School, private, Richmond
- Foxcroft School, private, Middleburg
- Stone Bridge High School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Virginia Episcopal School, private, Lynchburg
- St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, private, Alexandria
- Arlington Science Focus Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Hampton Roads Academy, private, Newport News
- Ashlawn Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Briar Woods High School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Jamestown Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Marshall High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Blue Ridge School, private, Dyke
- Discovery Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Wakefield School, private, The Plains
- Arlington Traditional Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- McKinley Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- The Steward School, private, Richmond
- Deep Run High School, Henrico County Public Schools
- Highland School, private, Warrenton
- Trinity School at Meadow View, private, Falls Church
- Lake Braddock Secondary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Ocean Lakes High School, Virginia Beach City Public Schools
- Yorktown High School, Arlington Public Schools
- Blacksburg High School, Montgomery County Public Schools
- Bishop O’Connell High School, private, Arlington
- Broad Run High School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Nottingham Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Walsingham Academy, private, Williamsburg
- Godwin High School, Henrico County Public Schools
- Trinity Episcopal School, private, Richmond
- Bishop Ireton High School, private, Alexandria
- Williamsburg Middle School, Arlington Public Schools
- Taylor Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Miller School of Albemarle, private, Charlottesville
- Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- John Champe High School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- George Mason High School, Falls Church City Public Schools
- Grassfield High School, Chesapeake Public Schools
- Middleburg Academy, private, Middleburg
- J. Michael Lunsford Middle School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Spring Hill Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Cooper Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Mantua Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Canterbury Woods Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Forestville Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Franklin Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Paul VI Catholic High School, private, Fairfax
- Trinity Christian School, private, Fairfax
- Haycock Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Springfield Estates Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Mosby Woods Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Rock Ridge High School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Floris Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Glebe Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Churchill Road Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Longfellow Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Westbriar Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Willow Springs Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Rocky Run Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Norfolk Collegiate School, private, Norfolk
- Randolph-Macon Academy, private, Front Royal
- Colvin Run Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Western Albemarle High School, Albemarle County Public Schools
- Keene Mill Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Belmont Station Elementary School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Fredericksburg Academy, private, Fredericksburg
- Swanson Middle School, Arlington Public Schools
- Frost Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Sunrise Valley Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Great Falls Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Liberty Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Oakcrest School, private, Vienna
- Kent Gardens Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Princess Anne High School, Virginia Beach City Public Schools
- Wolftrap Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Wakefield Forest Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- West Springfield High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Loudoun County High School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Carson Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School, private, Dumfries
- Oak Hill Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Tandem Friends School, private, Charlottesville
- Colonial Forge High School, Stafford County Public Schools
- Dominion High School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Sangster Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, private, Suffolk
- Flint Hill Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Long Branch Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Hoffman-Boston Elementary School, Arlington Public Schools
- Emerick Elementary School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Navy Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- The New School of Northern Virginia, private, Fairfax
- Freedom High School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Cardinal Ridge Elementary School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Evergreen Mill Elementary School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Belmont Ridge Middle School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Renaissance School, private, Charlottesville
- Cape Henry Collegiate, private, Virginia Beach
- Oakton Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Kilmer Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Mercer Middle School, Loudoun County Public Schools
- Greenbriar West Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Albemarle County Public Schools
- Stuart Hall School, private, Staunton
- Crossfield Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
- Waples Mill Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools