Dorothy Hamm Middle

Dorothy Hamm Middle School serves 932 students in grades 6 through 8 in Arlington, Virginia. It earns a composite score of 9.4 out of 10, with academic performance rated 9.0 and growth rated 9.5 — placing it in the Exceptional tier. That growth score is particularly notable: it measures how much students advance year over year, not just where they start.

The numbers put Dorothy Hamm in rare company. It ranks first among all 340 public middle schools in Virginia and first among all 36 Arlington schools at any level. Statewide, it sits at fifth among 1,850 public schools overall, outperforming 100 percent of Virginia schools in its composite rating.

Few middle schools anywhere in the state come close to that standing. A student-teacher ratio of 13.5 to 1 keeps class sizes manageable, giving students more direct access to instruction. Dorothy Hamm operates as a regular public school, meaning these results reflect standard public school enrollment rather than selective admission.

For families comparing middle schools in the Arlington area or across Northern Virginia, the data consistently points to Dorothy Hamm as the benchmark against which other schools are measured.