Arlington County Public Schools School District

Arlington County Public Schools enrolls 27,508 students across 42 schools in northern Virginia. Of those schools, 36 carry ranked scores, averaging 7.1 out of 10 — a consistent performance floor that signals system-wide quality rather than a single standout school carrying the numbers.

The district's highest-rated school is Nottingham Elementary at 9.4 out of 10, tied at the top with Dorothy Hamm Middle School at the same score. That two-school tie at 9.4 matters for families planning ahead: a child can move from one of the district's best elementary programs directly into one of its best middle schools without a quality drop. Williamsburg Middle (9.2), Discovery Elementary (9.2), and Montessori Public School of Arlington (9.2) round out the top tier — five schools clustered at 9.2 or above spanning elementary and middle grades.

The public Montessori option is worth noting on its own. Montessori Public School of Arlington scores 9.2, matching the district's conventional high-performers. For families drawn to student-directed, project-based learning, this is a substantive alternative — not an experimental program or a compromise, but a school that holds its own against the district's strongest traditional options.

Five schools at 9.2 or above in a 42-school district is a tight top cluster. With a district average of 7.1 across 36 ranked schools, the broader system holds up below the top tier as well. The spread between the average (7.1) and the ceiling (9.4) is wide enough to make school selection meaningful, but there are no obvious performance valleys dragging the overall numbers down.

At 27,508 students, Arlington County is large enough to sustain real program diversity — including the public Montessori track — while each school retains a distinct identity. Parents comparing schools within the district have well-documented, high-scoring choices at both the elementary and middle level, which is relatively rare in a district of this size.