Virginia education officials announced that 86 percent of the state’s public schools are fully accredited for the 2017-2018 school year, up 2 percent from last year.
Two-hundred and fifty schools failed to meet to the standards for full accreditation, which requires a certain number of students at each school pass statewide exams. More than 1,570 of the states 1,823 schools met the standards.
The number is up from 81 percent last year, according to state data.
In 2015, News4 reported that 93 percent of schools were accredited, which was down from the previous year due to a more rigorous math test.
To earn full accreditation, at least 75 percent of students must pass English exams and 70 percent must pass math, science and history exams. High schools must also achieve certain goals related to graduation rates.
You can download a spreadsheet from the Virginia Board of Education website to see if your school met the standards.
If a school is denied accreditation, officials are required to inform parents within 30 days of the announcement.
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Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a statement Wednesday that this year the state achieved the highest accreditation rates since he took office. He credited his plan to invest more than $850 million in elementary and high school education, along with a reduction in the number and length of standardized tests, for helping more students pass.
"This is a significant accomplishment for Virginia’s public schools, and one that is the result of tremendous diligence and hard work of our students, teachers, principals and division leaders over many years," McAuliffe said.
