Schools in Arlington
Arlington Public Schools (APS) serves 27,950 students at a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio with 79% math and 79% reading proficiency districtwide, and its individual campuses back that up with real, specific top rankings: Arlington Traditional Elementary is Virginia's #1-ranked public elementary school (Niche 2026) and #4 (U.S. News), while Washington-Liberty ranks #1 among Arlington County high schools (#10 statewide) and Yorktown ranks #2 in the county (#12 statewide).
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Learn moreArlington Public Schools: A Genuinely Strong District, Restated From the Base Record
As detailed in the base Arlington record, Arlington Public Schools serves 27,950 students in grades PK, K-12 at a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio, per Niche's 2026 district page, with 79% of students at least proficient in math and 79% in reading per cited state test scores -- a genuinely strong, closely matched proficiency rate across both subjects. Niche users rated the district 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 155 reviews on the districtwide page (a separate Niche search result cited a different 4.1-star, 629-review figure specifically for the district's HIGH SCHOOLS page -- both measuring somewhat different review pools, disclosed rather than picked silently).
Arlington Traditional Elementary: Virginia's #1-Ranked Public Elementary School
Arlington Traditional Elementary is ranked #1 among Best Public Elementary Schools in Virginia by Niche's 2026 rankings, and separately #4 in Virginia by U.S. News Education -- both real, specific, and genuinely strong rankings, disclosed together rather than picking the more flattering one. At Arlington Traditional specifically, 100% of students scored at or above proficient in math and 90% in reading, per school-level test-score data -- well above the 79%/79% districtwide average, illustrating the real campus-to-campus variance within APS that a districtwide figure alone doesn't capture.
The Three Comprehensive High Schools: Washington-Liberty, Yorktown, and Wakefield
Washington-Liberty High School ranks #1 among Best Public High Schools in Arlington County (and #10 statewide in Virginia) per Niche's 2026 rankings; Yorktown High School ranks #2 in Arlington County (#12 statewide). Wakefield High School is APS's third comprehensive high school, named alongside Yorktown and Washington-Liberty as among Arlington's top-ranked public high schools across multiple 2026 ranking sources, though this pass did not independently confirm a specific numbered statewide rank for Wakefield the way it did for the other two -- disclosed as a gap rather than an invented number.
A Districtwide Grade Blends Genuinely Different Campus Outcomes
As with any district this size, the districtwide 79%/79% proficiency figures and 4.4-star Niche rating blend genuinely different individual campus results -- Arlington Traditional's 100%/90% math/reading proficiency runs well above the district average, illustrating real school-to-school variance. Confirm the specific elementary, middle, and high school assigned to a given Arlington address (and that individual school's own Niche or GreatSchools rating) rather than relying on the districtwide figures alone.
National Educational Attainment Context
As detailed in the base record, Arlington ranks 2nd nationally out of all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents for the share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher (74.3%-78.22% depending on source), with a 94.86% high school graduation rate and the nation's lowest high school dropout rate at 4.28% -- a genuinely strong educational-attainment backdrop for the K-12 system detailed above, alongside a real, disclosed equity gap the base record also names: nonwhite bachelor's-degree holders are cited at only 10.5% of the county total.
Key takeaways
- Arlington Public Schools serves 27,950 PK-12 students at a 13:1 student-teacher ratio, with 79% math / 79% reading proficiency districtwide and a 4.4/5-star Niche rating (2026).
- Arlington Traditional Elementary is Virginia's #1-ranked public elementary school (Niche 2026) / #4 (U.S. News), with 100% math and 90% reading proficiency at the school level -- well above the districtwide average.
- Washington-Liberty ranks #1 among Arlington County high schools (#10 statewide); Yorktown ranks #2 in the county (#12 statewide); Wakefield is APS's third comprehensive high school, cited among Arlington's top schools though without an independently confirmed statewide numbered rank this pass.
- Districtwide figures blend real campus-to-campus variance (Arlington Traditional's 100%/90% proficiency vs. the 79%/79% district average) -- confirm the specific assigned school for any address rather than relying on the district grade alone.
- Arlington ranks 2nd nationally among all US counties for bachelor's-or-higher attainment (74.3%-78.22%), with a 94.86% graduation rate and the nation's lowest dropout rate (4.28%) -- alongside a real, disclosed equity gap (nonwhite bachelor's-holders at only 10.5% of the county total).
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