New data suggests that Arlington Public Schools is making progress on lowering the rate of students being chronically absent from class.
Through Jan. 30, 10% of APS students this school year were absent from class more than 10% of the time, according to data reported at the Feb. 19 School Board meeting. That’s down from rates of 12.4% for the 2024-25 school year and 13.2% from 2023-24.
With heavy snow continuing to fall, Arlington Public Schools has decided to close Monday.
The snow day for Arlington students follows earlier decisions by nearby Fairfax County and Montgomery County to also close. D.C. schools, meanwhile, will open on a two-hour delay.
Arlington Public Schools is warning families to beware of fraudulent emails that use the school system’s branding to collect people’s personal information.
The emails ask recipients to click a link and provide usernames, passwords and other information, APS said in a message to families yesterday (Thursday). They are not real APS communications, but they use the APS logo and may appear to come from the school system.
A walkout in protest of immigration enforcement is in the works next week at several Arlington Public Schools facilities.
It’s unclear how large or widespread it will be, although tipsters have said action is planned at all major high schools in Arlington on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 1:30 p.m., as well as some middle schools at a later time that afternoon.
Arlington Public Schools officials are brainstorming ways to encourage special-education teachers to serve as summer school instructors.
A little over half of educators who taught special-ed students at the secondary level during the 2025 summer school program expressed interest in returning for 2026, according to a survey conducted by the school system and reported at the Feb. 5 School Board meeting.
School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton launched her reelection bid last week with a pledge to fight for students — and against the Trump administration.
“We’re all feeling the impact of this administration’s attacks on our values. We will not back down,” Zecher Sutton said during Wednesday remarks to about 200 people at the monthly Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.
Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán stands behind decisions to keep classrooms shuttered for more than a week after last month’s snowstorm, but acknowledges shortcomings in the school system’s approach.
Durán said he and other school leaders should have done a better job at keeping the community informed on the reasons behind their decisions.
For the first time in nearly two weeks, Arlington’s public schools will be opening on time tomorrow and Friday.
“All schools and offices will open on time Thu, Feb. 5 and Fri, Feb. 6, 2026,” Arlington Public Schools said in a brief announcement Wednesday afternoon.
Arlington Public Schools will open on a two hour delay Wednesday, the school system just announced.
It’s the second consecutive delay, after five snow days following the previous weekend’s winter storm. While today offered some above-freezing temperatures and melting, many sidewalks remain snow- and ice-covered in Arlington, prompting continued caution by school administrators.
Arlington Public Schools will operate at a two-hour delay tomorrow (Tuesday), sending students back to school for the first time in more than a week.
The delay will allow bus riders to arrive at their stops in daylight and provides more time to travel to school, APS said. The school system has been closed for ice and snow since last Monday.
After being closed all last week, Arlington Public Schools are set for at least one more snow day.
APS announced around 4 p.m. Sunday that schools will be closed again on Monday. But relief may be in sight for beleaguered parents.
School Board members are giving themselves extra time before making final decisions on rearranging the locations of some non-traditional secondary programs.
Rather than being taken up the first week of February, as would be the typical cycle following its Jan. 22 presentation as an information item, final discussion and vote will be taken two weeks later.
