Most Virginia Schools Meeting New State Expectations, Virginia Education Department Reports

More than half of Virginia’s schools are exceeding or meeting the state’s academic expectations and made gains in achievement, graduation rates, growth, and readiness, according to data from the Virginia Department of Education on Wednesday.

Performance data presented to the Board of Education also showed that more schools met the state’s standards to be fully accredited based on 2024-25 data compared to the previous year.

Wednesday’s results come after a years-long effort by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration to address a “flawed” accreditation system to provide clear and more accurate student performance results.

“Our Student Performance and Support Framework is …providing timely, trustworthy data so we can target support to the students, schools, and communities who need it most, and we can all learn from our Distinguished top-performing schools,” Youngkin said in a statement on social media. “This is how we prepare every student for success in life, whether they enroll in college, find employment in a great career, or enlist in our military.”

Since the beginning of Youngkin’s term in 2022, the agency has begun overhauling the accreditation system to improve overall clarity and transparency and deliver better, more actionable information, according to the agency.

Last year, the Board of Education opted to split the system, referred to as the state’s School Performance and Support Framework, into two for the current school year — assessing whether schools are meeting all state and federal regulations, and providing prompt and transparent information on school and student performance.

The data from the new accountability system shows that 66% of schools are exceeding or meeting state expectations for achievement, graduation, growth, and readiness.

A total of 425 schools were identified as “distinguished” in the report, and 774 schools were labeled “on track.”

In addition, 399 schools were identified as “off track,”  while 213 schools were marked as “needs intensive support,” meaning they are not meeting any of the state’s expectations.

Agency data also stated that more than half of elementary schools demonstrated significant student growth in reading and math, and graduation rates remain stable compared to the last two school years.

VDOE said the release was delayed to validate the results, which were conducted by Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center. The “added step promotes transparency and reinforces confidence and trust in the final framework outcomes” before providing summaries to school divisions, the agency said.

“Our goal of transparency has seemingly been achieved here, and it’s not just transparency for ‘gotcha,’ it’s transparency for growth, transparency for continuous improvement,” said Board President Grace Creasey, who was appointed by Youngkin, on Wednesday.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson congratulated the team on their work and said she looks forward to seeing how the results will help students.

“I am just so excited about what this means and the possibilities for every student,” Gullickson said.

Accreditation data showed that 94% of schools were fully accredited in 2024-25, compared to 85% in 2024-25.

“I’m excited… to have such clarity on what it means to become accredited,” said Board Member Beth Ackerman, a Youngkin appointee, at the board’s work session on Wednesday. However, she cautioned the department against relying solely on self-assessments and encouraged the inclusion of third-party reviews to strengthen the system.

A total of 113 schools, or 6%, received “conditionally accredited” designations, primarily due to missing or insufficient documentation by school divisions, not operational breakdowns. Staff said the process highlighted the need for clearer guidance and more standardized submission practices.

In addition, six schools were given “new school” designations for newly configured schools. No school was denied accreditation.

Erin Madden, VDOE senior program and strategy specialist, said the conditionally accredited status is not punitive but an opportunity for improvement, with the goal of achieving “everyone 100% accredited.”

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

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