Analyst Rebuts 'Worst Schools' Claim With 2025 Southwest Virginia Test Scores After Spanberger Booing
Updated
Updated · Cardinal News · Aug 11
Analyst Rebuts 'Worst Schools' Claim With 2025 Southwest Virginia Test Scores After Spanberger Booing
1 articles · Updated · Cardinal News · Aug 11
Summary
2025 state data show Southwest Virginia's school region ranked first in reading and writing, second in math and history, and third in science, undercutting online claims it has "one of the worst school systems in Virginia."
School-by-school comparisons also challenged the stereotype: Lee County scored 100 in writing, Wise 94, and Carroll and Floyd 91, while several Southwest divisions matched or beat affluent Loudoun County in math, science or reading.
The rebuttal came after Gov. Abigail Spanberger was booed at Galax's Old-Time Fiddlers Convention and social media users used the episode to mock the region as poor, uneducated and economically collapsing.
The analyst conceded one point — Galax had Virginia's lowest median income at $38,675 from 2020 to 2024 — but said job losses are no longer hemorrhaging and net in-migration since the last census included 565 more people moving into Galax than out.