Skepticism is warranted when any school is summarized by a single number, but here’s how www.greatschools.net rates area schools based on standardized tests. The scale is 1 to 10, with 10 being the best:

6 – John Wayland Elementary School.

7 – Wilbur S. Pence Middle School.

5 – Turner Ashby High School.

Click the links for more detail. For comparison, rival Harrisonburg High School rates a 5 and Spotswood High School is 7.  There are also reviews from parents and students, including these gems:

• “As a former student I would say that the students and their parents are very very small headed” and
• “Turner Ashby is just the best, we have amazing teachers great students…and the best activitys around…we are all polite but still have great pride in TA and all that it does…my blood runs black and white till I die.”