The Virginia Department of Education officially released its 2024 accreditation results ahead of an overhaul of the standards moving into the 2024-25 school year. For 2024, schools were measured in three areas, or “indicators”: Academic Achievement, Achievement Gaps and Student Engagement & Outcomes.
In each area, schools were given a Level 1 (green), Level 2 (yellow) or Level 3 (red) designation. According to the VDOE website, in order to be fully accredited, schools must either have all level 1 designations or have been awarded a waiver. Schools that are “accredited with conditions” have one or more indicators in Level 3, while schools that have been denied accreditation are under state sanction.
According to a news release from VDOE, 85.4 percent of schools statewide are fully accredited, a number that does not sit well with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has championed harsher standards.
“As soon as I came into office, I committed to reverse the systematic lowering of standards and lack of transparency in Virginia’s education system,” Youngkin said in the release. “We must be honest with ourselves that too many students and schools are not on track for success.”
The Free Press compiled accreditation results for schools in the Fredericksburg area.
In Fredericksburg, Lafayette Elementary School is fully accredited, while Hugh Mercer Elementary School, Walker-Grant Middle School and James Monroe High School are accredited with conditions.
In Stafford County, out of 30 schools, only three are not fully accredited: H.H. Poole Middle School, Stafford Middle School and Brooke Point High School are accredited with conditions.
In Spotsylvania, four schools in the division are accredited with conditions. They are: Harrison Road Elementary, Chancellor High, Battlefield Middle and Thornburg MIddle.
In Caroline County, Caroline High School, Lewis & Clark Elementary School and Madison Elementary School were fully accredited, while Caroline Middle School and Bowling Green Elementary were accredited with conditions.
All five schools in King George remain fully accredited.
