RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Education released the 2016-2017 school accreditation ratings.
Overall, 81% of Virginia schools are fully accredited.
The counties which have all schools fully accredited are Colonial Heights, Goochland, Hanover, New Kent, Powhatan, and Prince George.
“While we celebrate this accomplishment, we also recognize that test scores alone are not indicative of a student’s, teacher’s, school’s, or division’s success or value. Rather, by concentrating on educating the whole child, we will continue to uphold our tradition of excellence that has and will continue to define Hanover County Public Schools,” said Dr. Michael B. Gill, superintendent, of Hanover County's full accreditation status.
In the Richmond-metro, almost two dozen schools failed to get full accreditation.
RICHMOND
Seven of the 10 schools denied accreditation are in the Richmond Public School system.
The status of another 14 has to be determined by The Board of Education.
Of the 36 schools listed as priority schools which comprised the lowest-performing five percent of Title I schools, 36% are from the City of Richmond.
Another 13% of Richmond Public Schools fall into the focus schools category.
G.Reid and Swansboro Elementary Schools were denied accreditation for the first time this year.
"Many of our schools were on already on this trajectory and correcting this is a process, not a single action...," said Dana T. Bedden, Superintendent of Schools. "Richmond is in the midst of a change process that takes time and an investment that matters for the greater good of Richmond."
School officials also said:
Some of the challenges in school performance are indicative of the challenges faced by the community at large. Chronic absenteeism and behavior are two challenges that impact how students learn or fail to learn in schools. There are some basic needs and social issues that stem from the community that the school division can assist in addressing:
HENRICO
There are 32 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and nine high schools with full accreditation in Henrico County.
The report for the Henrico school system indicates a split in performance between the eastern and western parts of the county.
Dumbarton, Johnson, and Ward Elementary Schools gained full state accreditation, as did Highland Springs High School.
Douglas Wilder Middle School has been denied accreditation for the third straight year. They also have another 11 schools whose accreditation will be determined by the board.
The status of 12 schools will be determined by the board: Donahoe, Fair Oaks, Glen Lea, Mehfoud, Montrose, Ratcliffe, Sandston and Varina elementary schools, and Brookland, Elko, Fairfield and Rolfe middle schools.
Henrico has five focus schools and one priority school listed this year.
All are located in the East End of Henrico.
“Overall, more schools have earned full accreditation and others are making gains toward that goal,” said HCPS Superintendent Patrick C. Kinlaw. “We still have work to do. We must also remember to look beyond the numbers and consider the whole child. We want our students, families and schools to know that we’re proud of the hard work and dedication that goes into educating the children of Henrico County.
CHESTERFIELD
Ninety-three percent of Chesterfield County Public Schools’ 61 comprehensive schools are fully accredited.
That is an eight percent increase from the number of schools fully accredited during the 2015-16 school year.
There are 37 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and 11 fully accredited high schools in Chesterfield.
These schools regained full accreditation for the current school year: Falling Creek Elementary, Harrowgate Elementary, Marguerite Christian Elementary, Salem Church Elementary, Providence Middle and Bird High.
Of the two Chesterfield schools whose statuses are to be determined, Falling Creek Elementary is located on the northern tip of Chesterfield, and Ettrick Elementary is on the far southern tip.
“While we will focus this year on developing a variety of methods with which to measure student and school success, we realize that many in the public hold the accreditation designation as an important indicator of student success,” Superintendent Dr. James Lane said. “We celebrate the hard work of our outstanding staff members. Everyone – from the teachers to our student support personnel to the administrators to all of those who make sure our buildings operate effectively – played a role in these successes, and we salute them.”
PETERSBURG
Petersburg shows improvement but still has to make significant gains down the road.
Peabody Middle School remains unaccredited for its eleventh year, while A.P. Hill is fully accredited.
Petersburg High School is partially accredited while two other elementary schools will have their accreditation determined by the Board of Education.
Walnut Hill Elementary is fully accredited after undergoing reconstitution last year.
