Portsmouth City Public Schools

801 Crawford St
Portsmouth, VA 23704-3822
(District boundaries shown in map)
2/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Portsmouth City Public Schools ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Virginia for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026 school year, there are 3 public middle schools serving 1,928 students in Portsmouth City Public Schools. This district's average middle testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in Virginia.
Public Middle Schools in Portsmouth City Public Schools have an average math proficiency score of 47% (versus the Virginia public middle school average of 65%), and reading proficiency score of 72% (versus the 70% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 84% of the student body (majority Black), which is more than the Virginia public middle school average of 53% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (VA)
# Schools
23 Schools
448 Schools
# Students
13,161 Students
312,714 Students
# Teachers
916 Teachers
23,458 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
14:1
14:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Portsmouth City Public Schools, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 132 school districts in Virginia (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 81% has decreased from 82% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (VA)
#113 out of 132 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
50%
68%
(20-21)
58%
69%
(20-21)
47%
59%
81%
89%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.48
0.70
% American Indian
n/a
n/a
% Asian
1%
7%
% Hispanic
7%
18%
% Black
70%
21%
% White
16%
47%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
6%
7%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $15,230 in this school district is less than the state median of $15,502. The school district revenue/student has grown by 15% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $14,180 is less than the state median of $15,257. The school district spending/student has grown by 12% over four school years.
This School District
This State (VA)
Total Revenue
$200 MM
$19,496 MM
Spending
$187 MM
$19,187 MM
Revenue / Student
$15,230
$15,502
Spending / Student
$14,180
$15,257

Best Portsmouth City Public Schools Public Middle Schools (2026)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Churchland Middle School
(Math: 54% | Reading: 75-79%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
4051 River Shore Rd
Portsmouth, VA 23703
(757) 686-2512
Gr: 7-8 | 840 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 82%
Rank: #22.
William E. Waters Middle School
(Math: 47% | Reading: 70-74%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
600 Roosevelt Blvd
Portsmouth, VA 23701
(757) 558-2813
Gr: 7-8 | 562 students Student-teacher ratio: 12:1 Minority enrollment: 78%
Rank: #33.
Cradock Middle School
(Math: 35% | Reading: 60-64%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
21 Alden Ave
Portsmouth, VA 23702
(757) 393-8788
Gr: 7-8 | 526 students Student-teacher ratio: 13:1 Minority enrollment: 93%

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Quick Facts (2026)

  • District size: 23 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 13,161 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 84%
  • : 81% (Btm 50% in VA)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 50% (Btm 50%)
  • : 58% (Btm 50%)
  • : 47% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), VA Dept. of Education

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