Sixty-three of Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ 81 testing schools have earned awards of excellence from Governor Timothy Kaine and the Virginia Board of Education.

Eight schools - Creeds Elementary, Green Run Elementary, and John B. Dey Elementary, Kemps Landing Magnet School, Kingston Elementary, Old Donation Center, Strawbridge Elementary, and Trantwood Elementary - are recipients of the prestigious Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. This is the highest honor under an incentive program to advance the Governor’s “Competence to Excellence” agenda. In order to qualify for the award schools must meet or exceed all state and federal performance benchmarks for at least two consecutive years. Additionally they must meet the Governor’s goals for achievement in elementary reading, Algebra I enrollment by grade 8, enrollment in college-level courses, and attainment of advanced diplomas and career and industry certifications.

The school division as a whole and 39 individual schools earned the Board of Education’s Excellence Award. This award is given to districts and schools which meet state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and make significant progress toward state goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunities set by Governor Kaine and the Board.
  
A third honor, the Board of Education’s Competence to Excellence Award, recognizes schools which meet state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and are making progress toward the governor’s educational objectives. Sixteen Virginia Beach schools are recipients of this honor.

“To have so many of our schools recognized for their high performance reflects our divisionwide commitment to exceeding minimum standards,” said Dr. Jared Cotton, assistant superintendent for the department of research, evaluation, and assessment.

To view a complete list of schools earning Board of Education awards, visit the Virginia Department of Education Web site.

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