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Arlington Public Schools, Virginia, elections

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Arlington Public Schools
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District details
School board members: 5
Students: 27,508 (2023-2024)
Schools: 42 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Arlington Public Schools is a school district in Virginia (Arlington County). During the 2024 school year, 27,508 students attended one of the district's 42 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

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Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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Arlington Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large

James Vell Rives IV and Miranda H. Turner ran in the general election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large on November 7, 2023.

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James Vell Rives IV (Independent)
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Miranda H. Turner (Independent)

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Arlington Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large

James Vell Rives IV and Bethany Z. Sutton ran in the general election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large on November 8, 2022.

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James Vell Rives IV (Independent)
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Bethany Z. Sutton (Independent)

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Arlington Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large

Incumbent Monique O'Grady won election in the general election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large on November 7, 2017.

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Monique O'Grady (Nonpartisan)

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Arlington Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large

Incumbent Nancy Van Doren and incumbent Tannia Talento won election in the general election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large on November 8, 2016.

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Nancy Van Doren (Nonpartisan)
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Tannia Talento (Nonpartisan)

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Arlington Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large

Incumbent Reid Goldstein won election in the general election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large on November 3, 2015.

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Reid Goldstein (Nonpartisan)

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Arlington Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large

Incumbent Barbara Kanninen won election in the general election for Arlington Public Schools, At-large on November 4, 2014.

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Barbara Kanninen (Nonpartisan)

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing


Most county boards of education have elections in odd-numbered years either every two years or every four years. As of 2022, elections in all but one county — Arlington County — were off-cycle from federal elections. They are held at the same time as the state's odd-year state legislative and gubernatorial elections. There are 91 county school districts in Virginia. The Arlington County School Board holds elections every year.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 15.2

The elections for most city and town school boards are held during even-numbered years and are on-cycle with federal elections. There are several cities that hold school board elections in odd-numbered years or annually. Details of city and town school board elections are largely set in local charters. There are 41 municipal school districts in Virginia.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 22.1-57.3


Election system

School board members in Virginia are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 22.1. Education and Section 24.1. Elections

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Virginia are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Virginia state law requires that school board candidates qualify for the ballot through the petition process for independent candidates. It does not allow school board candidates to qualify for the ballot as party nominees. This means that all school board candidates in Virginia are listed as independent in the secretary of state's official candidate list. On the ballot, the names of candidates are displayed without any party affiliation or additional disclosure of any kind. There is no route in state law for a school board candidate to be listed on the ballot with a party affiliation.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Sections 22.1. Education and 24.1. Elections

Winning an election

School board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 22.1. Education and Section 24.1. Elections

Term length and staggering

The length of school board member terms depends on the terms of the members of the relevant county, city, or town governing body. As of 2022, most school districts (121 or 91.7%) had 4-year school board terms. Ten school districts had 3-year board member terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 22.1. Education and Section 24.1. Elections

School board seat elections are either not staggered or staggered in a way that depends on the organization of the district and the relevant county, city, or town prior to the referendum establishing elected board members; special act; or local charter. State law has special provisions concerning the staggering of school board elections in Bath, Loudoun, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, and Rockbridge Counties.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 22.1. Education and Section 24.1. Elections

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School members are elected at large, from sub-districts, or through a combination of the two.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 22.1. Education and Section 24.1. Elections

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

School board candidates must file declarations of candidacy by 7:00 pm on the third Tuesday in June.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 24.1. Elections

School board candidates cannot circulate nominating petitions until after the first day of January of the year of the election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 24.1. Elections

Newly elected school board members officially take office on the first day of January following their election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Virginia Statutes Section 22.1. Education

 


About the district

School board

Arlington Public Schools consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Kathleen Clark20242028
Zuraya Tapia-Hadley20242028
Miranda Turner20242027
Bethany Zecher Sutton20232026
Mary Kadera20222025

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Arlington Public Schools
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Virginia House of Delegates District 1Patrick HopeDemocratic Party 44% 100%
Virginia House of Delegates District 2Adele McClureDemocratic Party 34% 100%
Virginia House of Delegates District 3Alfonso LopezDemocratic Party 22% 66%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $60,864,000 $2,252 8%
Local: $585,635,000 $21,669 79%
State: $91,457,000 $3,384 12%
Total: $737,956,000 $27,304
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $753,115,000 $27,865
Total Current Expenditures: $588,710,000 $21,782
Instructional Expenditures: $316,004,000 $11,692 42%
Student and Staff Support: $124,274,000 $4,598 17%
Administration: $62,754,000 $2,321 8%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $85,678,000 $3,170 11%
Total Capital Outlay: $119,277,000 $4,413
Construction: $99,469,000 $3,680
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $23,891,000 $883
Interest on Debt: $19,701,000 $728

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 65 73 46 38 21-39 79 82
2018-2019 87 92 77 75 70-79 94 95
2016-2017 77 82 66 64 60-69 84 85
2015-2016 86 90 74 73 70-79 93 94
2014-2015 86 91 75 74 70-79 92 94
2013-2014 82 87 68 68 60-69 89 92
2012-2013 80 83 64 66 70-79 89 92
2011-2012 79 83 59 63 60-79 87 91
2010-2011 87 90 75 77 60-79 93 96

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 77 83 61 54 21-39 89 91
2018-2019 83 85 72 66 60-69 92 94
2017-2018 84 87 74 68 60-69 94 95
2016-2017 86 89 76 73 70-79 95 95
2015-2016 86 90 74 73 70-79 94 95
2014-2015 86 89 73 70 60-69 93 96
2013-2014 81 83 65 63 60-69 89 94
2012-2013 80 80 63 62 60-79 88 93
2011-2012 89 91 79 79 >=80 94 97
2010-2011 90 91 80 80 >=80 94 97

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 86 85-89 85-89 70 PS >=95 97
2018-2019 87 90-94 85-89 70 >=50 >=95 97
2017-2018 85 85-89 85-89 68 PS >=95 96
2016-2017 83 85-89 80-84 65 >=50 90-94 95
2015-2016 83 85-89 80-84 64 97
2014-2015 85 85-89 75-79 70 96
2013-2014 87 85-89 80-84 74 95
2012-2013 84 80-84 75-79 72 96
2011-2012 81 80-84 75-79 64 94
2010-2011 81 75-79 62 95

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 27,508 -0.2
2022-2023 27,562 1.9
2021-2022 27,027 0.7
2020-2021 26,831 -4.9
2019-2020 28,151 2.5
2018-2019 27,434 1.7
2017-2018 26,975 3.0
2016-2017 26,176 3.1
2015-2016 25,364 3.2
2014-2015 24,559 4.3
2013-2014 23,499 4.1
2012-2013 22,543 2.9
2011-2012 21,892 1.9
2010-2011 21,485 5.7
2009-2010 20,268 3.3
2008-2009 19,599 4.4
2007-2008 18,736 1.5
2006-2007 18,456 0.0
2005-2006 18,463 -1.8
2004-2005 18,802 -1.9
2003-2004 19,158 0.1
2002-2003 19,135 0.1
2001-2002 19,109 1.3
2000-2001 18,870 3.2
1999-2000 18,260 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Arlington Public Schools (%) Virginia K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.2 0.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 9.0 7.7
Black 10.8 21.5
Hispanic 30.3 19.4
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0 0.2
Two or More Races 7.9 6.9
White 41.9 44.2

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Arlington Public Schools had 2,193.72 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 12.54.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 96.00
Kindergarten: 99.50
Elementary: 888.80
Secondary: 1,109.42
Total: 2,193.72

Arlington Public Schools employed 119.00 district administrators and 101.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 119.00
District Administrative Support: 198.00
School Administrators: 101.00
School Administrative Support: 196.80
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 839.54
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 449.39
Total Guidance Counselors: 124.50
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 37.90
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 86.60
Librarians/Media Specialists: 43.00
Library/Media Support: 2.00
Student Support Services: 41.00
Other Support Services: 0.00

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Arlington Public Schools operates 42 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Abingdon Elementary717PK-5
Alice West Fleet Elementary593PK-5
Arlington Community High1499-12
Arlington Science Focus School583PK-5
Arlington Traditional663PK-5
Ashlawn Elementary529PK-5
Barcroft Elementary474PK-5
Barrett Elementary519PK-5
Campbell Elementary406PK-5
Cardinal Elementary714PK-5
Carlin Springs Elementary547PK-5
Claremont Immersion622PK-5
Discovery Elementary523PK-5
Dorothy Hamm Middle9326-8
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary435PK-5
Escuela Key Elementary579PK-5
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program0
Glebe Elementary542PK-5
Governor'S Academy For Career And Technical Education In Arl0
Gunston Middle1,0316-8
Hb Woodlawn Secondary Program0
Hoffman-Boston Elementary600PK-5
Innovation Elementary496PK-5
Integration Station31PK-PK
Jamestown Elementary465PK-5
Jefferson Middle1,0886-8
Kenmore Middle1,0046-8
Langston High Continuation Program0
Long Branch Elementary423PK-5
Montessori Public School Of Arlington517PK-5
New Directions Alternative H.S. Program0
Nottingham Elementary374PK-5
Oakridge Elementary644PK-5
Randolph Elementary396PK-5
Swanson Middle9646-8
Taylor Elementary530PK-5
Technical Education & Career Center0
Tuckahoe Elementary453PK-5
Wakefield High2,7169-12
Washington-Liberty High2,9009-12
Williamsburg Middle8556-8
Yorktown High2,4949-12


About school boards

Education legislation in Virginia

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Virginia
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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