While Richmond, VA has a few highly-rated elementary schools in its central area, most of its top-rated schools are found in the suburbs, particularly in the area around Short Pump to the northwest of town.
This area has highly rated schools, but it isn't our pick for parents trying to get the most bang for their buck. For that, the area to the west of Richmond is where the data says parents will get the best schools for their rental dollars.
To help parents narrow down which property is right for them, we will use average property rent and school ratings to identify individual properties throughout the area that are our picks to provide the best value for each grade level.
Viewing school ratings by neighborhood allows us to find the areas with superb overall schools, rather than just identifying one-off instances of an individually exemplary school. Going by average Great School rating, the top neighborhood in Richmond is Twin Hickory, located near Short Pump to the northwest of town.
| Neighborhood Rank | Neighborhood | Neighborhood City and State | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twin Hickory | Short Pump, VA | 9.3 |
| 2 | Innsbrook | Richmond, VA | 8.0 |
| 3 | Midlothian | Midlothian, VA | 6.3 |
| 4 | Brandermill | Richmond, VA | 6.3 |
| 5 | Chamberlayne Industrial Center | Richmond, VA | 5.7 |
| 6 | Huguenot | Richmond, VA | 5.5 |
| 7 | Stony Point | Richmond, VA | 5.5 |
| 8 | Carver | Richmond, VA | 5.0 |
| 9 | City Center | Richmond, VA | 4.3 |
| 10 | Downtown | Richmond, VA | 4.3 |
Having looked at the best overall neighborhoods, we now look to find the best individual properties near the best schools at the elementary, middle and high school level. Click on any location circle in our interactive maps to pull up info on properties for that location.
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College Park Apartments | Richmond, VA | $867 | 10.0 |
| 2 | Brook Creek Crossings | Midlothian, VA | $700 | 8.0 |
| 3 | Townsend Square Townhomes | Richmond, VA | $730 | 8.0 |
| 4 | Crystal Lakes Townhomes | Richmond, VA | $735 | 7.0 |
| 5 | Creekpointe Apartment Homes | Midlothian, VA | $861 | 8.0 |
| 6 | Deering Manor | Richmond, VA | $665 | 6.0 |
| 7 | Eagle Mill Apartments | Richmond, VA | $1,149 | 10.0 |
| 8 | Cary West | Richmond, VA | $856 | 7.0 |
| 9 | Townhouses of Chesterfield | Richmond, VA | $825 | 6.0 |
| 10 | Shockoe Commons | Richmond, VA | $1,416 | 10.0 |
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brook Creek Crossings | Midlothian, VA | $700 | 9.0 |
| 2 | Creekpointe Apartment Homes | Midlothian, VA | $861 | 9.0 |
| 3 | Aston Ridge | Richmond, VA | $986 | 10.0 |
| 4 | The Park At Salisbury | Midlothian, VA | $1,344 | 10.0 |
| 5 | Colonial Village At West End | Glen Allen, VA | $1,359 | 8.0 |
| 6 | Abberly Twin Hickory | Glen Allen, VA | $1,416 | 8.0 |
| 7 | Trophy Club At Bellgrade | Midlothian, VA | $1,316 | 8.0 |
| 8 | Hunter's Chase Apartments | Midlothian, VA | $1,308 | 9.0 |
| 9 | Colonial Village At Waterford | Midlothian, VA | $1,457 | 6.0 |
| 10 | Crowne At Swift Creek | Midlothian, VA | $1,612 | 8.0 |
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brook Creek Crossings | Midlothian, VA | $700 | 8.0 |
| 2 | Lincoln Mews | Richmond, VA | $683 | 6.0 |
| 3 | North Oak Apartments | Richmond, VA | $745 | 6.0 |
| 4 | College Park Apartments | Richmond, VA | $867 | 6.0 |
| 5 | Abberly Twin Hickory | Glen Allen, VA | $1,416 | 9.0 |
| 6 | The Park At Salisbury | Midlothian, VA | $1,344 | 8.0 |
| 7 | Colonial Village At West End | Glen Allen, VA | $1,359 | 8.0 |
| 8 | Creekpointe Apartment Homes | Midlothian, VA | $861 | 5.0 |
| 9 | Manchester Lake | Richmond, VA | $708 | 4.0 |
| 10 | Timbercreek Apartments | Richmond, VA | $730 | 4.0 |
Jared is a Baton Rouge, La.-based freelance journalist focused on, in his words, "finding data, 'interviewing it' and then telling its story through interactive tools and traditional journalism." His past work includes analyzing pension shortfalls, looking at election results, tracking campaign finance contributions and analyzing educational and school system data. Some of his work has previously appeared on The Daily Advocate and unfundedmichigan.org.