Last month the Virginia Department of Education released the results of the 2025-2026 Standards of Learning tests.
SchoolDigger, a platform that calculates precise annual rankings based on year-over-year test performance metrics, found that one school in the local area performed exceptionally well – St. Paul Elementary School.
“It has become one of the most remarkable academic success stories in rural Southwest Virginia,” officials with St. Paul Elementary School Family Engagement said in a statement.
“The school is currently ranked number two out of 1,111 Virginia elementary and middle schools for the 2025–2026 school year, placing it in the 100th percentile with a five-star rating,” the statement went on to say. “This is not a one-year fluke—St. Paul Elementary has ranked in the top five schools in Virginia for three consecutive years, after climbing steadily from 107th in 2015–2016.”
In 2025–2026, SPES achieved proficiency rates of 95 percent or higher in every tested subject and grade level, including 100 percent in 3rd, 4th, and 8th-grade math and 100 percent on the 8th-grade Algebra I test.
“For parents, St. Paul Elementary represents an extraordinary combination of high achievement, equity, and efficiency,” the statement said.
Belfast Elementary was the highest ranked elementary school in Russell County. BES ranked 142nd with an average standard score of 84.1 percent. BES slipped 126 spots after having been ranked 16th last year.
Honaker Elementary ranked 359th. The average score at HES was 69.3. HES was 232nd last year, which is a fall of 127 positions.
Lebanon Elementary was the third highest ranked elementary school in the county at position 421. The average score at LES was 64.5. LES climbed up 196 positions after having been ranked 617th the previous year.
Castlewood Elementary had an average standard score of 22.6 and was ranked 919th in Virginia. CES fell a total of 110 spots after having been ranked 809th the previous year.
Lebanon Middle School ranked 253rd out of 416 middle schools across Virginia. The average standard score for LMS was 46.2. For the 2024-2025 school year, LMS was ranked 130th. That is a slip of 123 spots.
Castlewood High School was the highest ranked high school in the county. CHS ranked 237th out of Virginia’s 331 high schools. CHS had an average score of 41.7. This marks a slip of 66 spots, as CHS was ranked 171st last year.
Lebanon High was the second highest ranked high school in Russell County. LHS had an average score of 40 and was ranked 245th. Last year LHS ranked 236th, which is a dip of nine spots.
Honaker High was ranked 246th, with an average score of 39.6. HHS fell 66 spots after being ranked 180th the previous year.
