At the Nov. 13 Charlotte County School Board Meeting, accreditation and testing information was presented to the Board for the 2017-18 school year. According to the presentation, all schools in Charlotte County are fully accredited based on last year’s testing data. Charlotte County Public Schools as a whole had an average pass rate of 80 percent in reading, 81 percent in writing, 88 percent in history, 82 percent in math and 86 percent in science. The benchmark set by the Virginia Department of Education is 70 percent. Charlotte County Public Schools (CCPS) exceeded that benchmark in each subject area (school totals for: math, science, history and English), at every school in the division.

In comparison to the other schools in Region VIII, CCPS scores for 2017-18 were either the highest, or second highest, in the region. Charlotte was second in both reading and writing, first in science, and tied for first in both history and math. There are 12 school divisions in Region VIII, including CCPS.

Accomplishments for specific schools were also highlighted during the presentation to the school board. Bacon District Elementary has achieved a 17 percent increase in reading SOL pass rates over the past three years. Eureka Elementary has increased its reading pass rates by 9 percent over the past three years, as well. Phenix Elementary has experienced a gain of 14 percent in its science SOL pass rate over the same period of time. Central Middle School has worked hard to achieve an 11 percent increase in the school’s writing SOL Test pass rates since the 2015-16 school year. Randolph-Henry High School boasts a 95 percent pass rate on the Reading SOL Test, which is a graduation requirement in Virginia.

“These outcomes are the result of a great deal of hard work form our teachers, all staff members, a superintendent with high standards for our schools and a school board with great expectations for achievement. I also recognize our parents and community, who place a high premium on education. Most importantly, I recognize our students, who take these assessments seriously, and have excelled,” said Assistant Superintendent Robbie Mason during his presentation to the school board.