graduation-rate
Nine Virginia Divisions Saw Graduation Rates Spike During COVID, Then Fall Back
Nine Virginia divisions show a spike-then-crash graduation pattern: rates rose at least 3 points by 2021, then fell at least 3 points by 2023.
Virginia
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Virginia, grounded in Virginia Department of Education data.
Richmond's Enrollment Decline Is Real, But VAVA Blurs the Baseline
Richmond fall membership is down 18% since 2003, but virtual-school enrollment and ADM data show the 2021 spike was not a simple local headcount change.
One in 14 Virginia Students Now Identifies as Multiracial
Multiracial enrollment grew 81.8% since 2011, the fastest growth of any racial group in Virginia. The shift reflects demographic change and evolving identity.
38 Virginia Divisions Hit Their Worst-Ever Graduation Rate in 2023. 24 Hit Their Best.
More than a quarter of Virginia school divisions recorded their worst-ever graduation rate in 2023, including Norfolk, Bedford, and Portsmouth.
Virginia Beach Improved Its Graduation Rate Four Years Running. It Did So With 5,000 Students.
Virginia Beach City improved its graduation rate every year from 2019 to 2023, reaching 95.3% with the second-largest cohort in Virginia at 5,111 students.
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district-spotlight
Manassas City's Graduation Rate Climbed 12 Points in Four Years. Its Dropout Rate Was Cut in Half.
Osbourn High School in Manassas City improved from 77.7% to 89.5% between 2019 and 2023, closing a 14-point gap with the state.
graduation-rate
Fairfax County Graduates 93% of Its Students. Three of Its Schools Tell a Different Story.
Fairfax County's 93.4% graduation rate masks three alternative schools where 40-79% of students drop out, serving 431 students where dropping out is the majority outcome.
special-populations
One in Seven Virginia Students Is an English Learner
Virginia added 14,686 English learners in two years while total enrollment fell. Two divisions are now majority-LEP, and the growth is spreading statewide.
district-spotlight
Danville's Graduation Rate Has Fallen Every Year Since 2019. Its Dropout Rate Has Nearly Doubled.
Danville City's graduation rate dropped from 81.8% to 73.3% over four years, while its dropout rate climbed from 9.4% to 17%, the largest increase in Virginia.
district-spotlight
One in Three Virginia Divisions at Record-Low Enrollment
43 of Virginia's 131 school divisions hit all-time low enrollment in 2025, from Virginia Beach to Highland County's 208 students.
graduation-rate
Nearly One in Four Richmond Students Drops Out. At One School, It's Nearly Half.
Richmond City's 23.8% dropout rate is nearly five times the state average. George Wythe High had 48.4% of its cohort drop out in 2023.
school-choice
Fairfax County Lost 8,371 Students While Its Population Grew
Virginia's largest school division lost 4.4% of its enrollment since 2020 even as its school-age population increased by 9,000. Where did the families go?
district-spotlight
Hampton City Graduates 96% of Its Students. Most Larger Divisions Cannot Say the Same.
Hampton City graduated 96.4% of its 1,461-student cohort in 2023, outperforming wealthier suburban divisions like Stafford and Chesterfield.
demographics
One in Five Virginia Students Is Now Hispanic
Hispanic enrollment crossed 20% for the first time in 2024-25, adding 59,229 students since 2017 while Black enrollment fell. The gap between the two groups shrank to 14,794.
equity
In One Virginia Division, 79% Earn an Advanced Diploma. In Another, 17%.
Virginia's Advanced Studies diploma share ranges from 79% in Goochland County to 17% in Giles County, a gap that maps onto wealth and geography.
