While the U.S. is one of the most educated countries in the world, it doesn’t provide the same quality elementary school or secondary school education to all students. In many states, more affluent school districts receive a greater amount of funding per student than poorer districts, with one estimate claiming that low-income districts are underfunded by around $6,700 per pupil.
Discrepancies between the rich and poor were exacerbated a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low-income students suffered the greatest “learning loss” due to partial or total remote learning. One contributing factor was that people in low-income districts are less likely to have the technological resources they need. Now, less fortunate students must struggle to make up the educational ground that they lost due to this lack of resources.
States that provide equitable funding to all school districts can help prevent poor students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers. The difference is dramatic: College graduates have $154 - $1,115 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.
Virginia has the 11th least equitable school districts in the U.S. overall, but some districts within the state are fairer than others. To find out where school funding is distributed most equitably, WalletHub scored 132 districts in Virginia based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
Main Findings
Note: For visual purposes, we included only the top 7 school districts by enrollment from each category. Rank 1 on the “Expenditures Ranking” means highest expenditures and Rank 1 on “Income Ranking” means lowest income.
Most & Least Equitable School Districts in Virginia
| Rank* | School District | Score | Expeditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools per Pupil | Income by School District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caroline County Public Schools | 0.13 | $11,393 | $76,528 |
| 2 | Roanoke County Public Schools | 0.50 | $11,695 | $74,622 |
| 3 | Williamsburg-James City Public Schools | 0.71 | $13,562 | $65,297 |
| 4 | Southampton County Public Schools | 0.78 | $13,807 | $65,079 |
| 5 | Middlesex County Public Schools | 0.88 | $14,084 | $63,782 |
| 6 | Greene County Public Schools | 0.98 | $11,789 | $73,844 |
| 7 | Winchester City Public Schools | 1.15 | $14,620 | $61,321 |
| 8 | Warren County Public Schools | 1.16 | $12,280 | $72,840 |
| 9 | Westmoreland County Public Schools | 2.00 | $15,478 | $55,013 |
| 10 | Henrico County Public Schools | 2.53 | $11,071 | $76,345 |
| 11 | Lexington City Public Schools | 2.87 | $13,105 | $66,114 |
| 12 | Northumberland County Public Schools | 2.96 | $14,869 | $61,291 |
| 13 | Rockingham County Public Schools | 3.16 | $12,787 | $67,484 |
| 14 | Colonial Heights City Public Schools | 3.78 | $14,110 | $65,570 |
| 15 | Dinwiddie County Public Schools | 4.91 | $12,261 | $68,918 |
| 16 | Bedford County Public Schools | 4.95 | $11,858 | $70,870 |
| 17 | Augusta County Public Schools | 4.98 | $12,218 | $69,082 |
| 18 | Botetourt County Public Schools | 5.19 | $12,803 | $72,941 |
| 19 | King And Queen County Public Schools | 5.26 | $13,685 | $61,672 |
| 20 | Orange County Public Schools | 5.55 | $11,577 | $79,211 |
| 21 | Prince George County Public Schools | 5.82 | $11,677 | $78,895 |
| 22 | King William County Public Schools | 6.14 | $12,713 | $74,009 |
| 23 | Cumberland County Public Schools | 6.44 | $14,360 | $57,568 |
| 24 | Montgomery County Public Schools | 8.83 | $13,409 | $60,666 |
| 25 | Franklin City Public Schools | 8.98 | $15,673 | $49,424 |
| 26 | Culpeper County Public Schools | 9.06 | $10,818 | $85,274 |
| 27 | Brunswick County Public Schools | 9.10 | $15,622 | $49,597 |
| 28 | Louisa County Public Schools | 9.17 | $13,738 | $70,974 |
| 29 | Madison County Public Schools | 9.41 | $13,491 | $72,349 |
| 30 | Salem City Public Schools | 10.03 | $12,068 | $66,472 |
| 31 | Essex County Public Schools | 11.03 | $14,392 | $54,375 |
| 32 | Greensville County Public Schools | 11.08 | $14,652 | $53,063 |
| 33 | Gloucester County Public Schools | 11.50 | $12,679 | $77,733 |
| 34 | Richmond City Public Schools | 12.61 | $14,093 | $54,795 |
| 35 | Craig County Public Schools | 13.55 | $12,852 | $60,283 |
| 36 | Lynchburg City Public Schools | 13.92 | $14,076 | $54,015 |
| 37 | Fredericksburg City Public Schools | 14.12 | $14,136 | $72,293 |
| 38 | Chesterfield County Public Schools | 14.16 | $10,886 | $88,315 |
| 39 | Suffolk City Public Schools | 14.49 | $12,237 | $81,883 |
| 40 | Bland County Public Schools | 15.02 | $13,818 | $54,556 |
| 41 | Staunton City Public Schools | 15.04 | $14,123 | $53,041 |
| 42 | Franklin County Public Schools | 15.52 | $12,712 | $59,667 |
| 43 | Norfolk City Public Schools | 15.78 | $13,372 | $56,244 |
| 44 | Isle Of Wight County Public Schools | 16.04 | $11,879 | $84,673 |
| 45 | Fluvanna County Public Schools | 17.56 | $12,427 | $82,983 |
| 46 | Richmond County Public Schools | 17.70 | $12,819 | $57,697 |
| 47 | Virginia Beach City Public Schools | 19.07 | $12,869 | $81,810 |
| 48 | Rockbridge County Public Schools | 19.26 | $12,582 | $57,828 |
| 49 | Newport News City Public Schools | 19.29 | $12,652 | $57,463 |
| 50 | Portsmouth City Public Schools | 19.30 | $13,350 | $54,020 |
| 51 | Lancaster County Public Schools | 19.31 | $16,427 | $64,460 |
| 52 | West Point Public Schools | 19.49 | $13,233 | $80,300 |
| 53 | Hampton City Public Schools | 19.56 | $12,226 | $59,380 |
| 54 | Shenandoah County Public Schools | 19.69 | $12,365 | $58,609 |
| 55 | Amelia County Public Schools | 20.06 | $12,557 | $57,420 |
| 56 | Harrisonburg City Public Schools | 20.08 | $13,848 | $51,055 |
| 57 | Northampton County Public Schools | 20.11 | $13,988 | $50,347 |
| 58 | Nelson County Public Schools | 20.37 | $15,910 | $67,707 |
| 59 | Amherst County Public Schools | 20.99 | $11,729 | $60,876 |
| 60 | Giles County Public Schools | 22.51 | $12,127 | $57,911 |
| 61 | Nottoway County Public Schools | 23.58 | $12,654 | $54,614 |
| 62 | Roanoke City Public Schools | 24.21 | $13,816 | $48,476 |
| 63 | Petersburg City Public Schools | 25.16 | $14,417 | $44,890 |
| 64 | Chesapeake City Public Schools | 25.17 | $12,928 | $85,563 |
| 65 | Sussex County Public Schools | 26.57 | $18,926 | $56,968 |
| 66 | Pulaski County Public Schools | 27.56 | $11,948 | $55,446 |
| 67 | Frederick County Public Schools | 27.60 | $13,508 | $84,317 |
| 68 | Bath County Public Schools | 27.84 | $19,334 | $55,807 |
| 69 | Charles City County Public Schools | 28.05 | $18,602 | $59,543 |
| 70 | Washington County Public Schools | 28.17 | $12,010 | $54,737 |
| 71 | Alleghany County Public Schools | 28.33 | $13,011 | $49,705 |
| 72 | Waynesboro City Public Schools | 28.34 | $13,511 | $47,238 |
| 73 | Floyd County Public Schools | 28.67 | $12,578 | $51,612 |
| 74 | Danville City Public Schools | 28.68 | $15,159 | $38,904 |
| 75 | Clarke County Public Schools | 29.41 | $13,281 | $86,633 |
| 76 | Prince Edward County Public Schools | 29.75 | $12,959 | $49,019 |
| 77 | Bristol City Public Schools | 29.96 | $13,976 | $43,879 |
| 78 | Buckingham County Public Schools | 30.22 | $12,729 | $49,841 |
| 79 | Colonial Beach Public Schools | 31.46 | $13,107 | $47,164 |
| 80 | Manassas Park City Public Schools | 31.58 | $12,778 | $90,544 |
| 81 | Grayson County Public Schools | 31.79 | $13,904 | $43,022 |
| 82 | Mathews County Public Schools | 31.80 | $16,327 | $73,229 |
| 83 | Page County Public Schools | 32.41 | $11,758 | $53,168 |
| 84 | Wythe County Public Schools | 32.80 | $11,796 | $52,726 |
| 85 | Appomattox County Public Schools | 33.69 | $11,159 | $55,268 |
| 86 | Hanover County Public Schools | 33.74 | $11,776 | $96,911 |
| 87 | Campbell County Public Schools | 33.93 | $11,402 | $53,918 |
| 88 | York County Public Schools | 35.53 | $12,173 | $96,144 |
| 89 | Accomack County Public Schools | 36.21 | $11,769 | $50,601 |
| 90 | Martinsville City Public Schools | 38.09 | $14,313 | $36,832 |
| 91 | Pittsylvania County Public Schools | 38.97 | $11,623 | $49,486 |
| 92 | Lunenburg County Public Schools | 39.30 | $12,030 | $47,269 |
| 93 | Charlottesville Cty Public Schools | 39.34 | $19,324 | $63,470 |
| 94 | Galax City Public Schools | 39.36 | $13,537 | $39,808 |
| 95 | Halifax County Public Schools | 39.72 | $12,238 | $45,962 |
| 96 | New Kent County Public Schools | 39.75 | $11,626 | $101,628 |
| 97 | Carroll County Public Schools | 40.44 | $12,292 | $45,220 |
| 98 | Hopewell City Public Schools | 40.83 | $12,446 | $44,209 |
| 99 | Mecklenburg County Public Schools | 41.04 | $11,977 | $46,378 |
| 100 | King Geo County Public Schools | 41.09 | $11,578 | $102,750 |
| 101 | Buchanan County Public Schools | 41.82 | $13,758 | $37,093 |
| 102 | Powhatan County Public Schools | 42.06 | $11,985 | $101,395 |
| 103 | Charlotte County Public Schools | 42.47 | $11,948 | $45,567 |
| 104 | Albemarle County Public Schools | 42.96 | $14,306 | $90,568 |
| 105 | Spotsylvania County Public Schools | 43.24 | $12,636 | $98,973 |
| 106 | Russell County Public Schools | 43.95 | $12,657 | $41,100 |
| 107 | Smyth County Public Schools | 45.27 | $12,177 | $42,588 |
| 108 | Buena Vista City Public Schools | 46.62 | $12,083 | $42,156 |
| 109 | Highland County Public Schools | 47.74 | $22,603 | $52,901 |
| 110 | Lee County Public Schools | 48.64 | $12,742 | $37,574 |
| 111 | Patrick County Public Schools | 48.69 | $10,776 | $47,215 |
| 112 | Wise County Public Schools | 49.02 | $11,206 | $44,884 |
| 113 | Dickenson County Public Schools | 49.88 | $13,321 | $33,905 |
| 114 | Scott County Public Schools | 50.28 | $11,508 | $42,561 |
| 115 | Goochland County Public Schools | 51.12 | $13,382 | $100,517 |
| 116 | Henry County Public Schools | 51.37 | $11,657 | $41,103 |
| 117 | Tazewell County Public Schools | 53.84 | $10,953 | $42,937 |
| 118 | Covington City Public Schools | 56.51 | $10,937 | $41,242 |
| 119 | Poquoson City Public Schools | 56.63 | $11,786 | $112,026 |
| 120 | Surry County Public Schools | 61.41 | $22,776 | $61,105 |
| 121 | Manassas City Public Schools | 66.68 | $15,190 | $101,934 |
| 122 | Norton City Public Schools | 67.37 | $10,624 | $35,592 |
| 123 | Stafford County Public Schools | 68.44 | $11,793 | $119,818 |
| 124 | Radford City Public Schools | 69.11 | $8,608 | $44,360 |
| 125 | Rappahannock County Public Schools | 69.24 | $17,897 | $90,307 |
| 126 | Prince William County Public Schools | 69.55 | $13,020 | $114,513 |
| 127 | Fauquier County Public Schools | 77.84 | $14,775 | $111,368 |
| 128 | Alexandria City Public Schools | 103.04 | $19,370 | $105,450 |
| 129 | Fairfax County Public Schools | 128.31 | $16,976 | $133,974 |
| 130 | Arlington County Public Schools | 142.14 | $20,023 | $128,145 |
| 131 | Loudoun County Public Schools | 165.89 | $17,393 | $156,821 |
| 132 | Falls Church City Public Schools | 184.78 | $20,292 | $155,071 |
*1=Most Equitable
Methodology
In order to rank the states with the most and least equitable school districts, WalletHub first scored 12,870 school districts throughout the U.S. based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
For expenditures, for each 1 percent above the state's average we removed 1 point from a base score of 50 points for each district. For household income, for each 1 percent above the state's average we added 1 point to a base score of 50 points for each district. The inverse was true for each 1 percent below the state's average.
The final score for each district was calculated by taking the absolute difference between the score for expenditures and the score for household income. We then ranked the districts based on the total score, with the lowest value, representing the most equitable, being ranked 1.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from of the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics.
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