Virginia Schools

    Virginia is ranked 7 out of 50 for the 2005-06 in the “Smartest State” rankings, dropping five spots from the 2004-05 school year. The Smartest State rankings are based off of Morgan Quinto’s annual reference guide “Education State Rankings 2005-06.” Quinto rates each state on 21 positive and negative factors including class size and student achievement.

Virginia’s students achieved quite a goal in the latest round of testing for No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In the 2006 testing, 73% of schools made their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements, and of the schools that did not make their requirements, 130 schools only missed making AYP by one requirement. Forty seven schools that had been subject to sanctions because of poor performance were removed from the school-improvement status. Schools that have not made AYP two years in a row are subject to sanctions ranging from having to transfer students to better-performing schools to complete restructuring of school administration and curriculum.

Virginia budgeted $1.2 billion for public education in the 2004-06 budget. The state spends approximately $8,000 per student per year. In addition, in the 2007 fiscal year, Virginia will receive an additional $2.5 billion in federal funds to help implement NCLB reforms, grants, federal student loans, and other education-related expenses. This includes $590 million for “Title I” schools—schools in low income areas, or whose focus is on raising test scores. About 29.5% of Virginia students attend Title I schools.

For more information on Virginia schools, visit Virginia’s Department of Education at http://www.pen.k12.va.us