4.5 avg / 10

Best Schools in Portsmouth, Virginia

32 schools · 19 Elementary · 3 Middle · 3 High · 7 Other

Last updated: July 2026

Public: 22

Private: 10

Districts: 1

Avg Rating: 4.5/10

Estimated Scores: 10%

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Choosing a school in Portsmouth?

Use this page to compare every school in Portsmouth by level, neighborhood, and district — and find the right fit, not just the top of the list.

Explore the map How we rate schools

Shortlist starter

Start with these real page-level signals, then use the full table and map below.

High · Portsmouth City Public Schools. Ranked from real test data; use the map and table below to check address fit.

Elementary. Ranked from real test data; use the map and table below to check address fit.

Other. Ranked from real test data; use the map and table below to check address fit.

The short answer

The top-rated schools in Portsmouth for 2026 are Churchland High (6.8/10), Portsmouth Catholic Regional School (6.8/10), and Harbor Point Behavior Health Center (6.6/10), based on MySchoolScout's analysis of real test data across 27 rated schools. Ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic achievement, and school environment (plus college readiness for high schools), with equity shown as context, not scored; schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Best value · beats the odds

Churchland High

Rates 6.8/10 despite 100% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 2.9 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Portsmouth schools.

Top-Rated Schools in Portsmouth

Ranked by MySchoolScout composite using only schools with real test data (27 of 32). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.

#	School	Rating	Level	Value	State %ile
1	Churchland High	6.8 / 10	High	+2.9	58th
2	Portsmouth Catholic Regional School	6.8 / 10	Elementary	—	66th
3	Harbor Point Behavior Health Center	6.6 / 10	Other	—	60th
4	Harbor Point Academy	6.6 / 10	Other	—	59th
5	St Mark Christian Academy	6.5 / 10	Elementary	—	58th
6	Toras Chaim	6.1 / 10	Elementary	—	42th
7	Churchland Elementary	5.7 / 10	Elementary	+1.8	38th
8	Portsmouth Christian School	5.7 / 10	Other	—	30th
9	I.c. Norcom High	5.5 / 10	High	+1.6	34th
10	Manor High	5.4 / 10	High	+1.4	33th

See every school — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.

Family Snapshot

At a glance

Avg school rating: 4.5/10
Median household income: $56,658
Median home value: $220,140
Bachelor's degree or higher: 22%
Avg commute: 23 min
Owner-occupied homes: 55%

How Portsmouth compares

Virginia rank

#172 of 182

cities by avg. school score

Vs. state average

-1.8

below Virginia avg (6.2)

Median household income

$57k

65% of Virginia median

Schools in this city

30

About Schools in Portsmouth, Virginia

Portsmouth, Virginia operates 22 ranked public schools through a single unified district, giving parents a contained landscape to navigate. The city's schools average 4.4 out of 10, and only one school — Cradock Middle — clears the 7.0 threshold, putting it in a tier reached by just 5% of Portsmouth's ranked schools. That concentration at the top is narrow, so families researching the district should go in with clear eyes about the performance spread.

Cradock Middle leads the city at 7.0 and stands as the clear standout. At the high school level, Churchland High scores 6.2, making it the strongest secondary option in the district. William E. Waters Middle comes in at 6.3, giving middle-grade families two viable options worth comparing directly. The early childhood programs — Churchland Preschool Center (6.5) and Mount Hermon Preschool Center (6.2) — both outperform the citywide average by a meaningful margin, which is a notable positive for parents with young children entering the system.

The 4.4 average reflects a district where most schools are performing below mid-range on a 10-point scale. Parents evaluating Portsmouth against neighboring Virginia Beach or Chesapeake will find a meaningful gap in average school performance — Portsmouth's district average sits well below regional peers. Within the city, though, there is real differentiation: the top five schools all score between 6.2 and 7.0, while weaker schools pull the average down considerably.

Practically, Portsmouth rewards specific school selection rather than district-wide confidence. Families with middle schoolers should look closely at Cradock Middle and Waters Middle as the two anchors. High school parents have Churchland High as the clearest option. Early education families are actually well-served relative to the rest of the district. Attendance boundaries matter here — confirm which school your address feeds before drawing conclusions, and use the school-level scores rather than the district average as your decision input.

Filter by Level: All Levels (32) Elementary (19) Middle (3) High (3)

Filter by Type: All Types (32) Public (22) Private (10)

Filter by Rating: All Ratings (32) Academics (22) Growth (19) Diversity (19) Resources (22)

Filter by ZIP: 23701 (10) 23703 (9) 23704 (7) 23702 (3) 23707 (3)

Elementary Schools

19 schools

#	School	Enrollment	Grades	Rating
1	Churchland Elementary 760 students · Kindergarten–6th	760	Kindergarten–6th	5.7
2	Churchland Primary & Intermediate 511 students · Kindergarten–6th	511	Kindergarten–6th	4.3
3	Churchland Academy Elementary 600 students · Kindergarten–6th	600	Kindergarten–6th	4.3
4	Simonsdale Elementary 609 students · Kindergarten–6th	609	Kindergarten–6th	4.1
5	Park View Elementary 473 students · Kindergarten–6th	473	Kindergarten–6th	4.0
6	Brighton Elementary 445 students · Kindergarten–6th	445	Kindergarten–6th	3.5
7	Lakeview Elementary 405 students · Kindergarten–6th	405	Kindergarten–6th	3.4
8	Victory Elementary 570 students · Kindergarten–6th	570	Kindergarten–6th	3.3
9	Westhaven Elementary 474 students · Kindergarten–6th	474	Kindergarten–6th	2.7
10	Hodges Manor Elementary 457 students · Kindergarten–6th	457	Kindergarten–6th	2.4

Show all 19 elementary schools in Portsmouth

Private and public school ratings use different data sources and scoring models, so scores are not directly comparable across school types.

Douglass Park Elementary Cradock Elementary Waterview Elementary Portsmouth Catholic Regional School Private St Mark Christian Academy Private Toras Chaim Private Christopher Academy Private Court Street Academy Private Tinker Bell Daycare Private

Middle Schools

3 schools

#	School	Enrollment	Grades	Rating
1	Churchland Middle 840 students · 7th–8th	840	7th–8th	5.3
2	William E. Waters Middle 562 students · 7th–8th	562	7th–8th	5.0
3	Cradock Middle 526 students · 7th–8th	526	7th–8th	3.6

High Schools

3 schools

#	School	Enrollment	Grades	Rating
1	Churchland High 1,452 students · 9th–12th	1,452	9th–12th	6.8
2	I.c. Norcom High 1,027 students · 9th–12th	1,027	9th–12th	5.5
3	Manor High 1,167 students · 9th–12th	1,167	9th–12th	5.4

Other Schools

7 schools

#	School	Enrollment	Grades	Rating
1	Churchland Preschool Center 114 students · Pre-K–Pre-K	114	Pre-K–Pre-K	4.6
2	Mount Hermon Preschool Center 227 students · Pre-K–Pre-K	227	Pre-K–Pre-K	4.4
3	Olive Branch Preschool Center 194 students · Pre-K–Pre-K	194	Pre-K–Pre-K	2.5
Private Schools 4 schools Private and public school ratings use different data sources and scoring models. Scores are not directly comparable across school types.
1	Harbor Point Behavior Health Center Private 97 students · 4th–12th	97	4th–12th	6.6
2	Harbor Point Academy Private 102 students · 4th–12th	102	4th–12th	6.6
3	Portsmouth Christian School Private 504 students · Pre-K–12th	504	Pre-K–12th	5.7
4	Sweethaven Christian Academy Private 124 students · Pre-K–12th	124	Pre-K–12th	4.9

Schools in Portsmouth

Portsmouth, Virginia · 32 schools

Community Demographics

Census ACS 2022 5-Year Estimates across 5 ZIP codes

Median Income

$56,658

Median Home Value

$220,140

Median Rent

$1,255/mo

Population

96,427

College Educated

22%

Homeownership

55%

Avg Commute

23 min

Poverty Rate

18.7%

Community Profile

Portsmouth has a median household income of $56,658. It is a community where 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The median home value in the area is $220,140, with a median rent of $1,255/month. The area has a poverty rate of 18.7%. The average commute for residents is 23 minutes. Source: U.S. Census ACS 2022 5-Year Estimates.

Schools by Level

State: Virginia
Elementary: 19
Middle: 3
High: 3
Other: 7

Resources

🔍 Google "Portsmouth schools" 🏫 GreatSchools Portsmouth 📊 Niche Portsmouth Rankings 📍 Google Maps: Schools

School District

Portsmouth City Public Schools

23 schools · 13,161 students

Nearby Cities

Norfolk (71 schools)

6 mi

Chesapeake (65 schools)

Carrollton (1 school)

13 mi

Virginia Beach (115 schools)

14 mi

Langley A F B (1 school)

18 mi

Newport News (52 schools)

19 mi

Poquoson (4 schools)

20 mi

Smithfield (4 schools)

17 mi

Grafton (1 school)

22 mi

Yorktown (13 schools)

23 mi

Isle Of Wight (1 school)

20 mi

Seaford (1 school)

25 mi

Ft. Eustis (1 school)

25 mi

Other Major Cities in Virginia

Top metros statewide by school count.

Richmond 138 schools Alexandria 87 schools Roanoke 53 schools Arlington 49 schools

How we rate schools

A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.

See how we rate

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about schools in Portsmouth, Virginia

How many schools are in Portsmouth, Virginia?

Portsmouth has 32 schools, including 22 public and 10 private schools spanning elementary, middle, and high school levels.

What is the average school rating in Portsmouth, Virginia?

The average MySchoolScout composite score for schools in Portsmouth is 4.5 out of 10, built from student growth, poverty-adjusted academic achievement, and school environment — plus college readiness for high schools.

What is the top-ranked school in Portsmouth, Virginia?

The top-ranked school in Portsmouth on MySchoolScout is Churchland High with a composite score of 6.8/10.

What is the best elementary school in Portsmouth, Virginia?

The top-ranked elementary school in Portsmouth on MySchoolScout is Portsmouth Catholic Regional School with a composite score of 6.8/10.

What is the best middle school in Portsmouth, Virginia?

The top-ranked middle school in Portsmouth on MySchoolScout is Churchland Middle with a composite score of 5.3/10.

What is the best high school in Portsmouth, Virginia?

The top-ranked high school in Portsmouth on MySchoolScout is Churchland High with a composite score of 6.8/10.

How many school districts serve Portsmouth, Virginia?

Portsmouth is served by 1 school district: Portsmouth City Public Schools.

What is the education level in Portsmouth, Virginia?

According to Census data, 22% of adults in Portsmouth have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the median income in Portsmouth, Virginia?

The median household income in Portsmouth is approximately $56,658 according to Census ACS 2022 estimates.

Are there private schools in Portsmouth, Virginia?

Yes, Portsmouth has 10 private schools alongside 22 public schools. The top-rated private school is Portsmouth Catholic Regional School with a score of 6.8/10.

What is the student-teacher ratio in Portsmouth, Virginia?

The average student-teacher ratio across schools in Portsmouth is 12.9:1. This ratio varies by school, so families should check individual school profiles for specific classroom sizes.

How does MySchoolScout rate schools in Portsmouth, Virginia?

MySchoolScout rates schools using publicly available data from the NCES Common Core of Data and state education departments. Each school receives a 1-10 composite score built from Student Growth, Poverty-Adjusted Academic Achievement, and School Environment — plus College Readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context but not scored.