RICHMOND—Franklin’s J.P. King Middle School has been designated among the lowest-performing five percent of schools in Virginia for reading and math, according to a Wednesday news release from the state Department of Education.

As one of 36 in Virginia designated as “Priority” schools, J.P. King must work with state-approved partners to help design and implement school-reform models meeting state and federal requirements.

S.P. Morton was designated as one of 72 “Focus” schools for being among the lowest 10 percent, according to the news release. This means the school district must hire a state-approved coach to help develop, implement and monitor intervention strategies to improve student performance.

Franklin High Schools and Riverdale Elementary School in Southampton were among 485 of the state’s 1,836 schools that fell short of federal standards. They have been asked to come up with plans to improve students’ achievements in reading and math.

The state Department of Education indicated that 1,241 schools in the state met all requirements.