The list below pulls names directly from Arlington Public Schools and ratings from GreatSchools.org. I always tell families to click through to each school's GreatSchools page to see the full breakdown of test scores, equity ratings, and academic progress data. The number on its own is not the full story.

Abingdon Elementary School
3/10
Alice West Fleet Elementary School
6/10
Arlington Science Focus School
Not currently rated
Arlington Traditional School
9/10
Ashlawn Elementary School
7/10
Barcroft Elementary School
7/10
Barrett Elementary School
6/10
Campbell Elementary School
7/10
Cardinal Elementary School
Not currently rated
Carlin Springs Elementary School
3/10
Claremont Immersion
7/10
Discovery Elementary School
8/10
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School
4/10
Escuela Key Elementary (Francis Scott Key)
6/10
Glebe Elementary School
9/10
Hoffman-Boston Elementary School
3/10
Innovation Elementary School
6/10
Jamestown Elementary School
8/10
Long Branch Elementary School
5/10
Montessori Public School of Arlington
Not currently rated
Nottingham Elementary School
8/10
Oakridge Elementary School
5/10
Randolph Elementary School
5/10
Taylor Elementary School
9/10
Tuckahoe Elementary School
9/10

Source: GreatSchools.org. Ratings verified May 2026. A few schools show as "Not currently rated" on GreatSchools, generally because the building or program is newer, has recently been reconstituted, or otherwise does not yet have a current rating published. Check the GreatSchools school page directly for the most current information.

Arlington has six comprehensive middle schools serving grades 6 through 8. Ratings sourced from GreatSchools.org.

Dorothy Hamm Middle School
8/10
Gunston Middle School
7/10
Jefferson Middle School (Thomas Jefferson)
4/10
Kenmore Middle School
7/10
Swanson Middle School
6/10
Williamsburg Middle School
8/10

Source: GreatSchools.org. Ratings verified May 2026.

Arlington has three comprehensive high schools plus several specialized high school programs. The three main attendance-zoned high schools are Yorktown, Washington-Liberty, and Wakefield. Ratings sourced from GreatSchools.org.

Yorktown High School
Comprehensive
9/10
Washington-Liberty High School
Comprehensive
6/10
Wakefield High School
Comprehensive
4/10
H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program
Option (lottery)
Not currently rated
Arlington Tech
Option (application)
Not currently rated
Arlington Career Center
Specialized
Not currently rated
Arlington Community High School
Alternative
1/10
Langston High School Continuation Program
Alternative
Not currently rated
Shriver Program
Specialized
Not currently rated

Source: GreatSchools.org. Ratings verified May 2026. Several specialized programs and alternative pathways do not receive standard GreatSchools ratings. For H-B Woodlawn in particular, students officially graduate from their home comprehensive high school, which is one reason it does not appear with a traditional rating.

Every child living in Arlington County is guaranteed a seat at their zoned neighborhood school based on their home address. The lottery is for families who want to apply to one of the "option schools" or specialized programs instead.

Here is the basic timeline for the 2026-27 school year (dates shift slightly each year, so always verify on the APS website):

Early November: Lottery process information session
November 10: Applications open through SchoolMint
January 16: Application deadline at 4 p.m.
February 6: Live virtual lottery runs and results are communicated
Early March: Applications reopen for late applicants
Late June: Registration deadline for new families

When an option school receives more applications than it has seats, a lottery determines who gets in. Some lotteries have separate pools (for example, the Spanish immersion schools have separate English-speaking and Spanish-speaking pools to keep the program balanced). Siblings of currently enrolled students typically get priority.

For the official process and most current dates, visit the APS School Options page.

A neighborhood school is the one your child is automatically zoned to attend based on your home address. You are guaranteed a seat at that school every year.

An option school is a specialized program that students apply to attend, regardless of where they live in Arlington. Examples include Arlington Traditional, the Montessori Public School of Arlington, Claremont Immersion (Spanish), Escuela Key (Spanish), Arlington Science Focus, Drew, Integration Station, H-B Woodlawn, and Arlington Tech. These have their own admissions process through the lottery.

If you do not get into an option school, your child still has a guaranteed seat at your zoned neighborhood school. There is no risk in applying.

The fastest way is the Arlington Public Schools boundary lookup tool, which lets you enter any Arlington address and see the zoned elementary, middle, and high school. You can find it on the APS Schools page.

I always recommend families do this check before making an offer on a home. Two homes on the same street can sometimes fall into different attendance zones, especially near boundary lines.

Yes, and this is one of the most important things for families to understand before they pick a neighborhood for the schools.

The Arlington School Board periodically reviews and adjusts attendance boundaries to balance enrollment, address capacity issues, and respond to new construction. A boundary change can move a home from one elementary school to another, sometimes mid-year for an incoming class.

If schools are your primary reason for choosing a neighborhood, I encourage families to look at the APS long-range planning documents and ask about any active boundary discussions. The neighborhood you buy into today may not feed into the same school in five years.

GreatSchools assigns each school a rating from 1 to 10 based on a combination of factors. According to GreatSchools, the rating reflects:

Test scores - how students perform on state-required tests
Academic progress - how much students are improving year over year
Equity - how well the school serves students from different backgrounds
College readiness (for high schools) - AP and IB participation, graduation rates, and college enrollment

The methodology weighs these factors differently depending on the school level, and ratings can change as new state data becomes available. GreatSchools updates its data periodically, which means a school's score this year may be different from last year even if the school itself has not changed much.

For the full methodology, GreatSchools publishes their approach on their site.

I always tell families to cross-check at least three sources. Each rating site uses a different methodology, and the picture you get from all three together is more useful than any single score. Here are the ones families I work with use most:

GreatSchools.org - the most widely cited source, used by Zillow, Redfin, and most real estate platforms
Niche.com - includes student and parent reviews, often more qualitative
Public School Review - leans heavily on test score data and demographics
U.S. News Best High Schools - focuses on college readiness and AP performance for high schools
SchoolDigger - rankings based on standardized test scores
Virginia School Quality Profiles (schoolquality.virginia.gov) - the official state data source

Beyond the rating sites, the best research is in person. Tour the school. Talk to parents in the neighborhood. Ask the school what they are doing about whatever matters most to your family. A rating cannot tell you whether the principal is good, whether the PTA is active, or whether your child will thrive there.

Here is the approach I recommend after working with a lot of families on this:

1. Start with the GreatSchools rating as a baseline, since it is the most consistently used number across real estate platforms.
2. Look at the academic progress score separately from the overall rating. A school can have moderate test scores but very strong year-over-year improvement, which often matters more.
3. Cross-check with Niche and Public School Review.
4. Read at least 10 recent parent reviews on any school you are seriously considering.
5. Visit the school in person and ask specific questions about your child's needs.
6. Verify the boundary for the specific address you are considering, and ask APS whether there are any active boundary discussions that could affect it.

Ratings are a starting point, not an ending point.

GreatSchools updates ratings periodically as new state test data and other inputs become available. It is not unusual for a school's rating to shift by a point or two from one year to the next, and sometimes more if a new methodology is applied.

This is why I update this page quarterly and pull fresh ratings from GreatSchools each time. If you are reading this and it has been a while since the last update at the top of the page, please verify any specific rating directly on GreatSchools.org before making a decision.

Arlington Public Schools offers several specialized pathways that families often do not realize are available:

- Spanish Dual Language Immersion: Claremont Immersion and Escuela Key (elementary), continuing through middle school at Gunston and high school at Wakefield
- Montessori: Montessori Public School of Arlington (preschool through 5th grade), with continuation at Gunston
- H-B Woodlawn: a self-directed secondary program (grades 6-12) with a long waiting list
- Arlington Tech: project-based STEM high school program
- International Baccalaureate (IB): offered countywide at Washington-Liberty High School
- Arlington Science Focus School: elementary option school with a STEM emphasis

Each of these programs has its own application process, and most are highly competitive. The lottery is the gateway for most of them.

In general, yes. Homes in attendance zones for the most consistently high-rated schools tend to attract stronger buyer demand, which can support resale value over time. This is a pattern across most of the DC metro area, not just Arlington.

That said, "school zone" pricing is not a guarantee. It is one of several factors that influence home value, alongside neighborhood character, commute, lot size, and the home itself. If you are buying primarily for the schools, I always recommend running the boundary check and reviewing the long-range planning notes before you make an offer.

Arlington has a number of well-regarded private schools, including K-12 and parochial options. Families who choose the private route often still want to live in a strong public school zone as a backup or for resale value, so the public school research above remains relevant.

GreatSchools and Niche both include private school ratings, though the methodology differs from public schools (private schools are not required to publish state test data the same way).

Before you start touring. School research should inform which neighborhoods you focus on, not the other way around. If you wait until after you have fallen in love with a house, the schools become a tiebreaker rather than a filter, and that can lead to choices you regret later.

A reasonable order:

1. Identify the school criteria that matter most to your family.
2. Use the boundary lookup to find neighborhoods that feed into schools you would consider.
3. Cross-check ratings on GreatSchools, Niche, and Public School Review.
4. Visit a few of the schools if your timeline allows.
5. Then start touring homes in the neighborhoods that fit.