RICHMOND, Va. – A new high school to serve the Richmond region will open in Sept. 2017. CodeRVA High School will be located minutesaway from Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in the City of Richmond.
The backbone of the curriculum will be computer science, and the school will offer the opportunity to complete high school requirements through a combination of online and face-to-face learning, integrated coursework, and project-based learning.
CodeRVA students will be provided an opportunity to graduate with a Virginia high school diploma, an associate degree from the community college system, industry certifications, and paid work experience in computer science-related fields.
One hundred students will be selected the first year, into a curriculum which redesigns the high school experience with reduced “seat-time requirements” and which moves toward competency-based course completion.
The school also hopes to increase the pool of potential employees in coding and other computer science-related fields for central Virginia.
For the 2017-2018 school year, any rising 9th or 10th grader from Chesterfield, Colonial Heights City, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell City, New Kent, Petersburg City, Powhatan, Prince George, Richmond City, and Sussex may apply for CodeRVA.
Each CodeRVA participating school division receives a specific number of student slots. The student slots from each division will be divided evenly between 9th and 10th grade applicants. If the number of student slots for a school division is odd, then one additional 9th grader will be selected.
One of CodeRVA’s goals is to address racial, economic, and gender inequities in STEM-related education. To this end, CodeRVA’s selection process will be independently operated and hosted by a company with a successful history of providing student selection systems that support programs that seek representation reflective of the community it serves.
An online application can be found on the CodeRVA.org website and the completed application must be submitted by Feb. 24, 2017.
Selected students will be notified by March 10, 2017 and will be asked to confirm their intent to attend CodeRVA by March 24, 2017.
Student selection will be made through an independent lottery system.
Transportation will be provided from each partnering school division to CodeRVA at no cost to the student. CodeRVA will utilize the same bus system that is used to transport students to Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School.
There are several upcoming CodeRVA information sessions.
Richmond Public Schools (RPS) students and their families interested in learning more about this new opportunity for rising freshman and sophomores can meet at
Huguenot High School will host the event on Jan. 31, 2017 beginning at 6:00 p.m., Monday.
Mr. Michael Bolling, CodeRVA Executive Director, will share information and answer questions about program and instructional design, application process, and opportunities afforded to students who apply and are selected.
There are no academic requirements to apply for CodeRVA High School.
Other upcoming sessions are:
• Hanover – Atlee High School Library – February 2, 7-8 p.m.
9414 Atlee Station Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116
• Colonial Heights – Colonial Heights Technical Center, Audio Visual Room – February 9, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
3451 Conduit Road, Colonial Heights, VA 23834
• Henrico – (currently being scheduled)
• Petersburg – (currently being scheduled)
