Hanover’s Perspective
Hanover Schools Receive Full Accreditation
Hanover County Public Schools (HCPS) received full accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for 2015-2016. Among the school systems in the Greater Richmond Partnership, which includes Chesterfield, City of Richmond, Hanover and Henrico, Hanover is the only school system to receive full accreditation for every school in its district. HCPS reports that Hanover is one of the largest school divisions in the Commonwealth to experience this level of success at all of its schools.
Students exceeded all of the Standards of Learning (SOL) benchmarks set by the VDOE in English, math, history, and science, as well as exceeded the state average on all 29 SOL tests. One of the most significant gains was at Patrick Henry High School where an 11 point gain in mathematics was achieved over the previous school year. Students also improved or maintained overall passing scores in 27 of 29 SOL tests division wide.
“This is outstanding news. It is a direct reflection of the hard work put forth by our excellent students and staff every day, and we applaud their efforts. In a larger sense, it is also representative of the tremendous support that we receive from our parents, volunteers, community, business partners, and county leaders. Together, this helps to ensure that our school division remains exceptional,” said Dr. Robert F. “Rick” Richardson, Jr., interim superintendent.
Among Virginia’s school divisions totaling more than 15,000 students, Hanover has a 96.2 percent graduation rate, the highest four-year cohort graduation rate in the state. The district also has the lowest dropout rate of 2.2 percent, well below the statewide rate of 5.9 percent.
Hanover also boasts a 99.8 percent record of the core academic classes being taught by teachers meeting the federal definition of “highly qualified.”
Hanover hosts 18,041 students in 25 schools within its public school system. The County spends more than 72 percent of its budget on student learning, ranking us first among Virginia school divisions with more than 15,000 students in the percentage of expenditures dedicated to classroom instruction.
Click here to learn more about schools in Hanover County.