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CNBC ranks Virginia education #1 with help from Greater Richmond
August 7, 2024
In this year’s list from CNBC of the Top States for Business, Virginia claimed the #1 overall ranking plus the #1 ranking for education. Virginia’s strong education system is bolstered by award-winning public and private schools, higher education institutions and workforce development programs in Greater Richmond.
K-12
Greater Richmond’s K-12 school system is abundantly filled with top-ranking options for students across the region. More than 187,000 students are enrolled in each of Greater Richmond’s four localities, which offer career preparation, college prep and honors or advanced placement classes as well as 15 vocational and technical centers. Additionally, the region is home to nearly 80 private schools like the Collegiate School and St. Christopher’s, both renowned for highly successful college preparatory programs. In 2024, Virginia recognized 125 Blue Ribbon public schools for their exceptional support of gifted students through magnet and specialty programs. Of those 125 schools in Virginia, 10 are in Greater Richmond.
Special education
Greater Richmond’s specialized education options ensure success for all students with several award-winning schools. For example, the Spiritos School is among the nation’s best schools for students with autism. The New Community School ranks #1 and the Faison School ranks #3 for special education in Virginia, respectively. Richmond Open High School, an alternative school located in the city, is the top high school in the Richmond MSA and the #4 high school in Virginia according to U.S. News & World Report.
Higher education
| Highest Level Attained | Richmond MSA (total #) | Richmond MSA (% of total) | Virginia (% of total) | U.S. (% of total) |
| Less than high school diploma | 59,682 | 8.7% | 10.0% | 10.9% |
| High school or GED | 164,833 | 24.0% | 23.6% | 25.7% |
| Some college, no degree | 137,644 | 20.0% | 18.9% | 20.7% |
| Associate degree | 53,925 | 7.9% | 8.0% | 9.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 170,188 | 24.8% | 22.4% | 21.2% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 100,036 | 14.6% | 17.2% | 12.3% |
Nearly 40 percent of Greater Richmond residents 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, a larger percentage than the national average. With more than 1.67 million higher education students within 150 miles of the region, Greater Richmond produces a highly educated and skilled workforce with plenty of students within a short distance.
Some of the region’s top colleges and universities include Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and University of Richmond (UR). VCU is among Virginia’s largest public universities and ranks among the top 50 public research universities by the National Science Foundation. UR is a top-ranked private liberal arts college with a high track rate of producing business executives through its Jepson School of Leadership Studies.
Virginia State University (VSU), a public Historically Black College and University (HBCU), is one of Virginia’s two land-grant institutions. In 2020, VSU received the largest donation to date from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Jeff Bezos, for $30 million. Virginia Union University (VUU) is a private HBCU with education, arts and sciences, theology and business programs. Randolph-Macon College (R-MC) serves nearly 1,600 undergraduate students across 55 academic areas.
Greater Richmond is also home to several trade schools and community colleges like Brightpoint and Reynolds community colleges which both offer students associate degrees and certificates.
Workforce development
Business Facilities magazine ranks Virginia #1 in the U.S. for customized workforce training for the second year in a row. The Virginia Talent Accelerator Program (VTAP), a collaboration between the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) and Virginia Community Colleges, is a fully customizable workforce training program based in Greater Richmond. VTAP provides tailored recruitment and training services at no cost to qualifying companies and has facilitated more than 13,000 jobs statewide for major companies like The LEGO Group, Civica, Haleon and more. Additional workforce training programs in Greater Richmond include:
- The Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA): a program by Brightpoint and Reynolds community colleges that offers targeted professional development and customizable training programs to meet specific industry needs
- The Manufacturing Skills Institute (MSI): collaborates with the Virginia Manufacturing Association and local colleges to develop essential skills in both seasoned professionals and new hires
- The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM): a research hub addressing operational challenges for local manufacturers
- The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Logistics Systems (CCALS): an industry, government and university collaboration aimed to solve issues in logistics surrounding talent and more
Learn more about Greater Richmond’s education-to-workforce pipeline here.
