Prince William County Schools Make Gains In All Standards Of Learning Test Subjects

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Prince William County Public Schools saw gains in all subjects in the 2023–2024 Standards of Learning standardized tests.

According to Virginia Department of Education data released Tuesday, the English reading pass rate for PWCS was 76 percent, up one point from the previous year. The math pass rate increased from 71 to 73 percent, the science rate increased from 66 percent to 68 percent, and the history rate increased from 70 percent to 71 percent. The English writing pass rate had the greatest jump — from 71 percent to 79 percent.

"Prince William County Public Schools is excited and encouraged by the VDOE’s report on our students’ SOL pass rates," said Superintendent LaTanya McDade in a statement. "We are seeing notable improvements in every subject, and it’s clear that our teachers are delivering in the classroom and our students are setting a new standard of excellence."

Most of the PWCS pass rates were higher than the state average, except the science pass rate that was on par with the state. The state averages were 73 percent in English reading, 71 percent in math, 76 percent in English writing, 65 percent in history/social science, and 68 percent in science.

Statewide, Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office said the SOL results reflected the start of learning recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia's overall pass rate in math increased from 69 percent to 71 percent. The English reading pass rate remained the same at 73 percent.

According to the Virginia Department of Education, 70 percent of school divisions showed improvements in third to eighth grade reading scores, 10.7 percent maintained scores, and 19.1 percent had declines. In third to eighth grade math, 75 percent of school divisions saw score improvements, 4.6 percent maintained scores and 19.8 percent had declines.

In high school, the math pass rate increased from 81 percent to 84 percent. However, the reading pass rate declined from 85 percent to 84 percent.

"Today’s promising data shows that when we have high expectations for our students, teachers and schools, they meet them when using proven approaches and tools," said Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera. "We know what works. Every school in the Commonwealth must know and understand each student’s academic progress and mastery and provide tailored supports and teaching that will put every student on track to succeed in life."

Most PWCS student subgroups had gains in reading and math. English learners had a reading pass rate increase from 38 percent to 41 percent and math increase from 46 percent to 48 percent. Economically disadvantaged students' reading pass rate increased from 63 to 66 percent, and the math pass rate increased from 60 percent to 63 percent. Students with disabilities had a math pass rate increase from 45 to 48 percent, but their reading pass rate declined from 49 to 48 percent.

Results are also available on the school level. The Virginia Department of Education has also shared results in Manassas City Public Schools and Manassas Park City Public Schools.

Chronic Absenteeism and Other State Education Focuses

Along with SOL results, PWCS is celebrating its improved graduation outcomes. Preliminary data shows an overall 94.3 percent on-time graduation rate, a 2.6 percent improvement from the last school year. English learners' on-time graduation rate improved 9.6 percent to 80.6 percent. Meanwhile, drop-outs declined by 2.7 percent overall and 9.6 percent for English learners.

Dr. Babur Lateef, the at-large chair of the Prince William County School Board, credits the superintendent's leadership and teachers, students and families working toward improved academic access.

"We have improved test scores while improving our graduation rate to a record high of 94.3%, reducing chronic absenteeism, having our students win record scholarship dollars, and achieving incredible athletic and extracurricular success," said Lateef in a statement. "We have done this while also providing a safer and more welcoming environment for all children and staff."

With the release of SOL results, the Virginia Department of Education provided an update on another statewide focus: chronic absenteeism. Youngkin's office reiterated the benefits of regular school attendance, as chronically absent students (attending less than 90 percent of the school year) performed 19 percentage points below other students in reading and 26 points below in math.

Statewide, the rate of chronic absenteeism fell from 19.3 percent to 16.1 percent, with 40,974 fewer students chronically absent in the last school year. Virginia K-12 students collectively had 1,276,522 less absent days to allow 8,935,654 more hours of instruction, according to a Virginia Department of Education estimate.

PWCS said its latest chronic absenteeism rate was 16.2 percent, down 5.4 percent from the previous year.

The state is running an All in VA initiative through the 2025-2026 school year to address learning loss through high-intensity tutoring, extended time for tutoring, summer programs and personalized supplemental math and reading resources. The initiative also focuses on reducing chronic absenteeism with a Chronic Absenteeism Task Force, an action kit for divisions and other strategies.

The Virginia Department of Education is also accelerating the implementation of the Virginia Literary Act in kindergarten to third grade to support early literacy. The state initiative includes new instructional strategies for literacy and requires additional professional development for teachers.