Greater Richmond offers an array of educational resources to meet the education and training needs of any company. Award-winning public schools are supplemented by a variety of private and parochial schools.
Virginia has adopted education reform called Standards of Learning (SOLs). The program sets clear, measurable academic standards on a statewide basis and then measures student progress in meeting those standards. Students are tested in English, math, science and history in the third, fifth and eighth grades and in high school.
Public Education
Each locality in the Richmond area has its own public school system with more than 187,200 enrolled students. The systems provide a full range of career prep, college prep and honors or advanced placement classes in addition to fifteen vocational and technical centers that offer trade and industry classes and apprenticeship training.
In addition to magnet and specialty programs in each locality, Greater Richmond’s gifted students are eligible for accelerated programs at the regional Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies and the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for Arts and Technology.
Several local high schools provide ‘magnet’ studies. For example, L.C. Bird High School is an official Governor’s Career and Technical Academy for Engineering Studies. The specialty center offers advanced level courses in science, mathematics, engineering and technology. The regional MathScience Innovation Center provides special facilities and classes in science, math and technology that would not be feasible for individual school systems.
Accolades
Richmond Public Schools
- Two Richmond high schools are ranked in the top 10 for best high schools in Virginia per U.S. News & World Report’s national ranking of public high schools.
- Richmond’s Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School ranks as both the best public high school and second-best college prep school in Virginia according to Niche.com.
- Offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) World School Primary Years Programme at Chimborazo Elementary School.
- Committed to the improvement of academic and social outcomes for young males of color by participation in “A Pledge by America’s Great City Schools” along with 60 other urban school districts nationwide.
Chesterfield County Public Schools
- Offers blended learning, project-based learning and service learning.
- Graduates the 5th-most amount of students in the state per year.
- Seven Chesterfield schools earned Distinguished Achievement awards in 2019.
- Chesterfield County Public Schools offers specialty high schools ranging in topics that include career and technical education, math and science, health science, engineering, arts, leadership and international relations, IT, Spanish immersion, entrepreneurship and more.
Hanover County Public Schools
- The system was the first school division in the state to receive the U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award for Continuing Excellence.
- Atlee and Hanover High School recognized by US News & World Report as best high schools.
- NAMM Foundation named HCPS one of the best communities for music education.
- 4 year graduation rate is 95.6 percent.
Henrico County Public Schools
- Tucker High School has the most racially diverse population of all Virginia public high schools according to education data website Niche.
- Deep Run High School has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Short Pump Middle was one of 9 in Virginia that earned a Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence.
- Each high school is fully accredited and hosts an academic specialty center.
- Cutting-edge programs in career and technical education.
Private Schools
Nearly 80 private and parochial schools have enrollment of 12,800 students in Greater Richmond, with many private high schools such as The Collegiate School and The St. Christopher’s School serving as college preparatory schools. The International Baccalaureate program, study abroad, community service and military training are available at most institutions.
For additional information about private education, visit the Virginia Council for Private Education website at www.vcpe.org.
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