All Warren County Schools Fully Accredited as State Releases New Performance Results

All nine Warren County public schools included in Virginia’s latest school accountability results are fully accredited, while one local elementary school ranked among the state’s top 20 schools for improvement under Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework.

The Virginia Department of Education released its Fall 2026 School Performance and Support Framework, or SPSF, results Wednesday, offering a new look at academic performance, student growth, attendance, and other measures at more than 1,800 elementary, middle, and high schools across the Commonwealth.

In Warren County, one school received the SPSF rating of Distinguished, one Meets Expectations, and seven Approaching Expectations.

None of the nine Warren County schools listed in the results fell into the lowest category, Needs Intensive Support.

At the same time, all nine schools received full state accreditation.

Those schools are A.S. Rhodes Elementary, E. Wilson Morrison Elementary, Hilda J. Barbour Elementary, Leslie Fox Keyser Elementary, Ressie Jeffries Elementary, Skyline Middle, Warren County Middle, Skyline High, and Warren County High.

For each school, the Virginia Department of Education reported that it had submitted, reviewed, and approved all evidence required under the state’s Standards of Accreditation.

The results highlight an important distinction between accreditation and the state’s newer school performance system.

Accreditation reflects whether schools meet Virginia requirements involving areas such as health, safety, staffing, compliance, and planning. The SPSF takes a broader look at student outcomes and school performance.

A.S. Rhodes Among Top 20 For Improvement

A.S. Rhodes Elementary stood out in the latest results, recording a 9.63-point increase in its overall SPSF score.

That improvement placed the school among Virginia’s top 20 schools for gains in overall SPSF scores.

The SPSF is now in its second year and evaluates schools using several measures.

Those include academic performance and student growth, student readiness, and attendance. For high schools, the framework also considers preparation for life after graduation, including postsecondary success.

Individual components include student proficiency on state assessments, year-to-year academic growth, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism.

The system combines those measures to produce an overall score and place each school into one of four categories: Distinguished, Meets Expectations, Approaching Expectations, or Needs Intensive Support.

The system is intended not only to show families how schools are performing but also to help state and local education officials determine where additional resources and support are needed.

Virginia Schools Show Overall Gains

Warren County’s results were released as Virginia reported broader statewide improvement.

Schools gained approximately four to five points on the SPSF on average between 2025 and 2026.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration reported that 38% of Virginia schools improved their overall performance category. Three out of every four schools also experienced declines in chronic absenteeism.

More than 99% of Virginia schools are now fully accredited.

“As Governor and as a mother of three school-aged daughters, I am working to make sure that every child feels safe, supported, and prepared to thrive during their years in Virginia’s schools and into their futures,” Spanberger said.

Spanberger said the results should help the state identify schools and students that need additional assistance.

“Parents and families deserve to know their child is receiving an outstanding education in our Commonwealth,” she said. “That’s why we are focused on using this data to target investments to schools where students need it most.”

New Way Of Measuring Student Growth

The latest results include a change in how Virginia measures academic growth.

Following the first year of the SPSF, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission recommended improvements to the accountability system.

One of those changes involved the student growth measure.

Under the revised methodology, schools can receive credit for helping any student make significant academic progress, regardless of the student’s starting point.

State officials said the change provides a better picture of whether individual students are moving forward academically, even if they have not yet reached grade-level proficiency.

The growth measure contributed to statewide improvement, particularly in elementary schools.

Virginia also reported progress among Title I schools, which generally serve higher percentages of students from low-income households.

Sixteen of 49 eligible schools exited Comprehensive Support and Improvement status, the strictest level of federal monitoring aimed at closing academic gaps. The state said that represents the highest proportion to exit CSI status to date.

$26.7 Million Available For Schools

The release of the accountability results comes as the Virginia Department of Education prepares to open a $26.7 million School Improvement Grant opportunity.

Applications are scheduled to open Friday.

The federal funding will go to schools serving some of Virginia’s highest-needs students and can be used for instructional resources intended to improve student outcomes.

The department also plans to establish a state-funded pilot improvement network for schools identified for Targeted Support and Improvement, or TSI.

Those schools may have achievement gaps involving particular student groups. Teams of school leaders in the network will receive additional tools and training to address those gaps.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway said the accountability system’s purpose extends beyond assigning schools a score or category.

“The true purpose of an accountability system like the SPSF is to create the conditions for school improvement, and drive more resources to the students, educators and schools that need them most,” Conway said.

“We’re pleased today not only to be sharing these results, but to be turning accountability into action.”

For Warren County families, the latest report offers two different measures of their schools.

All nine schools met the requirements for full accreditation, while the SPSF provides a more detailed look at academic results, student growth, attendance, and other measures.

Locally, the ratings range from Approaching Expectations to Distinguished, with A.S. Rhodes Elementary’s 9.63-point improvement providing one of Warren County’s notable results in the statewide report.