SCS SOL Scores Most Improved in Virginia

Greetings!

We all have reason to celebrate after the recent release of SOL scores and accreditation ratings.

Despite a crippling pandemic that resulted in sudden school closures and a complete shift in how teachers delivered instruction, SCS students made the greatest percentile rank improvement in SOL scores of all 132 school divisions in Virginia. 

SOL data from the Virginia Department of Education show that SCS increased in ranking 45 places to 55th in the state from 2018 to 2022, making the highest overall growth in state ranking.

This growth is also reflected in our federal pass rates, indicating that the division was able to minimize and, in some cases, almost eliminate learning gaps from the pandemic.

“This is exciting and very encouraging news for our school division,” said Dr. Garett Smith, superintendent. “We know there’s more work to do as SOL scores generally went down nationwide following the pandemic, but this substantial leap in rankings shows that we’re making a strong comeback. Our teachers and staff deserve tremendous credit for not giving up on excellent instruction or student growth during a challenging time.” 

Congratulations to our staff, students, and families on your perseverance and hard work!  

Our kickoff to kindness started with lots of smiles and cheers in September with community kindness tunnels at all schools, spirit week, and a community service project for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.

For the remainder of the school year, we’ll continue to focus on spreading joy and kindness to one another and our community with monthly Kindness Days and activities. If your workplace, organization, or business would like to join us, check out how you can become an official partner! Our sincere thanks to all who have joined us in this effort to make our community a kinder place.