New federal data has knocked down the quality ratings of a number of Arlington’s schools, but county school leaders say the reductions are no cause for alarm.
“We’re very proud of what we see” in newly released Virginia Department of Education accountability rankings, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members on Oct. 8. “We also recognize the support that’s needed for students who may not be performing at the level they potentially could be.”
Two weeks earlier, school leadership announced that, based on state criteria, 21 of Arlington’s 35 public schools had received ratings of “Distinguished,” with 12 rated “Meets Expectations,” one (Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary) rated “Approaching Expectations” and one other (Arlington Community High School) rated as “Needs Intensive Support.”
When those scores were released, Gerald Mann, the school system’s chief academic officer, noted that when federal scoring was added, APS officials expected a number of schools to fall one level in the rankings.
And that’s what happened. The end result, according to state figures, was 18 schools rated as Distinguished, six as Meets Expectations, nine as Approaching Expectations and two (Drew and Arlington Community) as Needs Intensive Support.
In some cases, schools fell in the rankings because of a single shortcoming among one subgroup of students.
Durán said the two separate ratings lists should be considered in tandem to get a broader perspective on student performance at individual schools.
“Our students are meeting those standards set by the state,” he said. “[Federal] accountability helps to identify and ensure that every student group is succeeding and, where they’re not, where we need to provide additional support.”
“We will use both scores to recognize the program, and we will continue to target resources and support where we have the biggest impact,” Durán said.
Incorporating the federal data that caused some schools to lose places in the rankings, the positions for Arlington schools based on 2025-26 achievement measures are:
- Distinguished: Arlington Science Focus, Arlington Traditional, Campbell, Cardinal, Claremont, Discovery, Key (Escuela Key), Glebe, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor and Tuckahoe elementary schools; Montessori Public School of Arlington; Dorothy Hamm, Gunston, Swanson and Williamsburg middle schools; Yorktown High School
- Meets Expectations: Abingdon, Innovation, Oakridge elementary schools; Kenmore Middle School; Washington-Liberty High School
- Approaching Expectations: Alice West Fleet, Barcroft, Barrett, Carlin Springs, Hoffman-Boston, Long Branch and Randolph elementary schools; Thomas Jefferson Middle School; Wakefield High School
- Needs Intensive Support: Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary, Arlington Community High School
All county schools are rated as fully accredited for the school year by the Virginia Department of Education.
In his Oct. 8 report to School Board members, Durán said Nottingham Elementary scored highest among Northern Virginia elementary schools and Williamsburg Middle was highest among regional middle schools in the overall achievement scorecard.
