Arlington Public Schools students recorded increases in four of five broad academic categories in the Virginia Department of Education’s 2025-26 Standards of Learning exams (SOLs).
The school system reported overall increases in reading, history/social sciences, mathematics and science pass rates, with a decline in the writing category.
Arlington Community High School celebrated its arrival at a new, permanent location in Pentagon City on Friday.
Hundreds turned out for the celebration at 1450 S. Eads Street, a more than 30,000-square-foot space donated by Amazon at its HQ2 campus.
Today (Monday) is the first day of class at Arlington Public Schools, and the school system is just over 99% staffed up to welcome its 27,000 students.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming them all back,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said at the Aug. 27 School Board meeting, where he detailed changes that will impact students and families during the school year.
Arlington County police have a message for parents shopping for their kids’ back-to-school wheels: e-motorcycles aren’t for teenagers.
The devices can reach speeds of up to 65 mph and are “generally NOT appropriate for teens,” according to ACPD. Anyone operating a mobility device capable of more than 35 mph, or with a motor output above 750 watts, needs an M Class endorsement on their driver’s license and proper registration for the device.
Ten new speed cameras will be watching Arlington school zones when classes resume next week, bringing the county’s total to 35.
Arlington released the full list of PhotoSPEED locations on Tuesday, two weeks after ACPD said a list was coming soon.
School Board members are expected to expand options for excused absences in the upcoming school year.
To comply with changes to state law, three new categories may be added to the existing 13 qualifying for excused absences at Arlington Public Schools:
A staff proposal to remove a net of two days of instruction for Arlington elementary schoolers brought noncommittal comments from School Board members.
The proposal would rearrange instructional time in October and March to accommodate parent-teacher conferences at the elementary school level. It would result in 178 days of class, leading to some heartburn among School Board members who have pledged not to go below 180 days each year.
The new president of the Arlington Education Association (AEA) says she hopes for a cooperative relationship with school leaders over the coming year.
“The strongest districts are built on collaboration, transparency and mutual respect,” Danielle Jones said at the Aug. 13 School Board meeting.
A late start to the school year and other logistical challenges could result in Arlington elementary schoolers getting fewer than 180 days of instruction this year.
School Board members are reviewing a proposal to alter the 2026-27 elementary school calendar to provide more opportunity for meetings between teachers and parents in October and March. This would result in just 178 instructional days for elementary-school students.
Local students got in the back-to-school spirit last week with some help from the Washington Wizards.
Featuring appearances by Wizards mascot G-Wiz, the Wizards Dancers and DJ Chalant, the “Back-to-School Tip-Off” celebration provided students with backpacks filled with school supplies and free haircuts on Friday at Claremont Immersion Elementary School.
Arlington school leaders are getting creative about recruiting and retaining special education teachers.
Arlington Public Schools has embarked on a partnership with George Mason University’s Project Patriots initiative, giving current staff the ability to earn required degrees and obtain special-education certification while still working full-time for the school system.
An Arlington educator was honored by county school leaders this week after being selected to participate in a prestigious federal fellowship program.
Daniel Bernhardt, who teaches science at Swanson Middle School, has been selected as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow and appointed teacher in residence at the Library of Congress for the 2026-27 school year.
