Historical public education information in Virginia, 2011-2013

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Education policy in the U.S.

Public education in the U.S.

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Higher education in the U.S.

Glossary of education terms

Education statistics

This page contains archived information on Virginia's public education system, primarily from 2011-2012, but also from other years due to the availability of data at the time it was written. For more recent information, view Virginia's public education page.

The Virginia public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2012 Virginia had 1,257,883 students enrolled in a total of 2,170 schools in 221 school districts. While the national ratio of teachers to students was 1:16, in Virginia there were 90,832 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 14 students. There was roughly one administrator for every 313 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Virginia spent $10,364 per pupil in 2011, which ranked it 26th in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 83 percent in 2012. This was the Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate reported to the United States Department of Education for all students in 2011-2012.

State agencies

See also: Virginia Department of Education

The Virginia Department of Education works in conjunction with the Virginia Board of Education as well as local school boards to create and maintain the state's public school system. The Department of Education is led by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Steven R. Staples was appointed to the position in 2014 by Governor Terry McAuliffe.

The mission statement of the Virginia Department of Education reads:

“

The mission of Virginia's public education system is to educate students in the fundamental knowledge and academic subjects that they need to become capable, responsible, and self-reliant citizens. Therefore, the mission of the Virginia Board of Education and the superintendent of public instruction, in cooperation with local school boards, is to increase student learning and academic achievement.

”

The Virginia Board of Education is in charge of governing and creating policy for the Virginia public school system. The Board of Education is composed of nine members who are appointed to four-year terms by the governor and confirmed by the Virginia General Assembly.

Regional comparison

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Virginia compared to three neighboring states in school year 2011-2012 with respect to number of students, schools, the number of teachers per pupil, and the number of administrators per pupil. Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Regional comparison, 2011-2012
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher/pupil ratio	Administrator/pupil ratio	Per pupil spending
Virginia	2,170	221	1,257,883	90,832	1:13.8	1:313.2	$10,364
Maryland	1,451	25	854,086	57,589	1:14.8	1:238.8	$13,871
North Carolina	2,577	236	1,507,864	97,308	1:15.5	1:287.8	$8,312
West Virginia	759	57	282,870	20,247	1:14	1:250.5	$11,846
United States	98,328	17,992	49,521,669	3,103,263	1:16	1:295.2	$10,994
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a. National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2. Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher and pupil/teacher ratio by state: School year 2011–12" U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Demographics

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Virginia as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2011-2012.

Demographic information for Virginia's K-12 public school system
Ethnicity	Students	State percentage	United States percentage**
American Indian	4,132	0.33%	1.10%
Asian	75,840	6.03%	4.68%
African American	298,931	23.76%	15.68%
Hawaiian Nat./Pacific Isl.	1,762	0.14%	0.42%
Hispanic	149,272	11.87%	24.37%
White	673,363	53.53%	51.21%
Two or More	54,583	4.34%	2.54%
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity.

Enrollments by region type

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

The majority of students in Virginia attended suburban or rural schools during school year 2011-2012. Approximately 70 percent of the state's students attended suburban or rural schools, compared to approximately 30 percent who attended city or to wnschools.

Student distribution by region type, 2011 - 2012 (as percents)
State	City schools	Suburban schools	Town schools	Rural schools
Virginia	23%	38.8%	6.9%	31.3%
Maryland	16.9%	59.9%	5.3%	18.0%
North Carolina	25.9%	14.1%	11.6%	48.4%
West Virginia	13.0%	15.5%	21.0%	50.4%
U.S. average	28.9%	34.0%	11.6%	25.4%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD)

Academic performance

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compared to three neighboring states (Maryland, North Carolina, and West Virginia), Virginia had a higher percentage of eighth grade students score at or above proficient in school year 2012-2013.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Virginia	47%	38%	43%	36%
Maryland	47%	37%	45%	42%
North Carolina	45%	36%	35%	33%
West Virginia	35%	24%	27%	25%
U.S. average	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the U.S.

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Virginia and surrounding states for 2012 and 2013.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores*
State	Graduation rate, 2012		Average ACT composite, 2012		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Virginia	83%	Second	22.4	25%	1528	71%
Maryland	84%	Second	22.1	21%	1483	73%
North Carolina	80%	Third	21.9	20%	1479	62%
West Virginia	79%	Third	20.6	68%	1537	60%
U.S. average	80%		21.1		1498
*Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Rate (except for Idaho, Kentucky, Oklahoma, which did not report “Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,” but instead used their own method of calculation). **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Virginia was lower than the national average at 2.3 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 1.9 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Virginia

As of June 2015, school choice options in Virginia included charter schools, education improvement tax credits, homeschooling, online learning, private schools and voluntary public school open enrollment policies.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Virginia state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2012
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), Virginia spent approximately 16 percent of its fiscal year 2012 budget on elementary and secondary education. This was down 3.3 percentage points, a 17.1 percent decrease in the share of the budget from fiscal year 2008, when the state spent 19.3 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education. Just over half of Virginia's education revenue comes from local funding. State funding accounts for approximately 37 percent, and federal funding accounts for about 10 percent.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems
State	Percent of budget (2012)	Per pupil spending (2011)	Revenue sources (2011)
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Virginia	16%	$10,364	9.9%	37.11%	52.99%
Maryland	19.5%	$13,871	9.35%	40.99%	49.67%
North Carolina	23.2%	$8,312	14.12%	52.04%	33.85%
West Virginia	10.8%	$11,846	14.73%	55.64%	29.63%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," Table 8: Elementary and Secondary Education Expenditures As a Percent of Total Expenditures U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system revenues in Virginia totaled approximately $14.4 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including revenue sources, for Virginia and surrounding states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Virginia	$1,427,301	$5,351,177	$7,639,550	$14,418,028
Maryland	$1,255,964	$5,508,339	$6,674,775	$13,439,078
North Carolina	$2,086,278	$7,690,062	$5,001,904	$14,778,244
West Virginia	$510,256	$1,927,726	$1,026,593	$3,464,575
U.S. total	$74,943,767	$267,762,416	$264,550,594	$607,256,777
Source: National Center for Education Statistics

\| \n <pbars size=650x300 title="" grid=true ymin=0 ymax=100 legend colorscheme=excel> ,Federal revenue,State revenue,Local revenue Virginia,9.90,37.11,52.99 Maryland,9.35,40.99,49.67 North Carolina,14.12,52.04,33.85 West Virginia,14.73,55.64,29.63 U.S. total,12.34,44.09,43.56 </pbars>

Public school revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (as percents)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures in Virginia totaled approximately $14.5 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including expenditure types, for Virginia and surrounding states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
	General expenditures**	Capital outlay	Other***	Total expenditures
Virginia	$12,964,134	$1,075,067	$425,378	$14,464,579
Maryland	$11,818,032	$989,839	$185,991	$12,993,862
North Carolina	$12,335,701	$1,058,530	$675,207	$14,069,438
West Virginia	$3,342,238	$269,242	$56,907	$3,668,387
U.S. total	$520,577,893	$52,984,139	$29,581,293	$603,143,325
**Funds spent operating local public schools and local education agencies, including such expenses as salaries for school personnel, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs, but excluding capital outlay, interest on school debt, payments to private schools, and payments to public charter schools. ***Includes payments to state and local governments, payments to private schools, interest on school system indebtedness, and nonelementary-secondary expenditures, such as adult education and community services expenditures. Source: National Center for Education Statistics

\| \n <pbars size=500x300 title="" grid=true ymin=0 ymax=100 legend colorscheme=excel> ,Current expenditures,Capital outlay,Other Virginia,89.63,7.43,2.94 Maryland,90.95,7.62,1.43 North Carolina,87.68,7.52,4.80 West Virginia,91.11,7.34,1.55 U.S. total,86.31,8.78,4.90 </pbars>

Public school expenditures, fiscal year 2011 (as percents)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Virginia, the average salary decreased by 5.8 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Virginia	$52,947	$53,388	$49,514	$49,869	-5.8%
Maryland	$60,196	$68,285	$64,693	$65,265	8.4%
North Carolina	$53,849	$50,010	$46,712	$45,947	-14.7%
West Virginia	$47,843	$49,059	$46,074	$46,405	-3.0%
U.S. average	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

Unions

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Virginia ranked 47th overall, or weakest, which was in the last tier of five.

The main union related to the Virginia school system is the Virginia Education Association (VEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA).

List of local Virginia school unions:

• Virginia Education Association
• Fairfax Education Association
• Richmond Education Association
• Norfolk Federation Of Teachers
• Education Association of Norfolk
• Education Association of Alexandria
• Loudoun Education Association
• Arlington Education Association

Government sector lobbying

See also: Virginia government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Virginia School Boards Association. The government sector lobbying organization for school personnel is the Virginia Association of School Personnel Administrators.

Transparency

In 2009 the Virginia State Legislature passed two transparency bills: Senate Bill 936 and House Bill 2285. SB 936 and HB 2285 created a searchable database website containing information on state revenues, appropriations and expenditures.

Studies and reports

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

See also

• Public education in Virginia
• Virginia
• Education Policy in the U.S.