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.”
A local parent-teacher association is continuing to push back against school leaders’ plans to end the Integration Station program for preschool-age youth with disabilities.
The result has been “a growing gap in the trust between Arlington Public Schools, the School Board and the families they serve,” said Alaina Clark, president of the Arlington Special Education Parent-Teacher Association (SEPTA).
Last year brought overall improvements to standardized test scores at Arlington Public Schools, but results throughout the school system remain uneven.
School Board members dissected results for 2025-26 Standards of Learning, or SOLs, by school and different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic categories. The data “tells two stories simultaneously,” School Board member Monique “Moe” Bryant said at the Sept. 24 School Board meeting.
New inductees to the Yorktown High School Hall of Fame & Inspiration praised the school’s impact on their lives during a Sept. 18 induction ceremony.
“This feels like time travel,” said retired Air Force Lt. General Charles “Chip” Roadman II, a member of Yorktown’s inaugural Class of 1962.
County school leaders are seeking parental feedback as new homework requirements are rolled out this school year.
“The goal is not just to give more homework and have more students be busy,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said at the Sept. 10 School Board meeting.
School Board candidates faced off this week on the question of whether front-line educators are getting enough support in Arlington.
“We are not supporting our teachers [and] they are burning out,” said James “Vell” Rives IV, a Forward Party-endorsed independent challenging Democratic incumbent Bethany Zecher Sutton.
Arlington Public Schools kicked off the school year with an enrollment of 27,173, down 1.6% from last year.
The figure, which counts students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, is down from 27,603 reported during the first week of the 2025-26 school year.
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.
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.
