The Williamsburg-James City County School Division told a joint meeting of the school board and the James City County Board of Supervisors that all 16 schools in the division are fully accredited for the 2023 24 school year and that division-level student outcomes improved across multiple measures.

"All 16 schools are fully accredited," a presenter reported, summarizing statewide accreditation indicators that compare raw pass rates and growth measures used by the Virginia Department of Education. The division said its raw pass rates and growth adjustments together produced stronger final accreditation results and that WJCC outperformed the state average in the five tested SOL areas.

Key results included an elementary combined raw pass rate in English reading of 73%, with nine percentage points added for student growth to reach an 82% adjusted rate in the division's slide example. The presenters reported divisionwide gains in mathematics and science and highlighted that two of the division's three high schools met the college, career and civic readiness index (CCCRI) at level 1, a notable improvement from the prior year.

Graduation measures were also strong: the class of 2024 had an on-time graduation rate (OGR) of 95.3% and a cohort completion rate (CCR) of 98.1%, the division reported, with a dropout rate of 1.7% for the 2024 cohort. Presenters attributed the improvements to school-level, data-driven school improvement plans and cross-school sharing of successful strategies.

Attendance and subgroup performance improved as well. The division reported chronic absenteeism of 10.6% in 2024 (about 1,200 students), down from 16.2% the previous year and below the state's 16.1% rate. The division said its English learner proficiency (K 2) rose from 30% to 62% over four years and students with disabilities in K 2 rose from 39% to 53% over the same span.

Speakers warned that Virginia is adopting a new school performance and support framework that will change public reporting next year. "What will change is how that's calculated and then reported out publicly next fall," a presenter said, adding that some high-school indicators remain under final review at the state level.

The joint meeting also included public expressions of gratitude to Superintendent Dr. Heron, who announced she will step down at the end of her term; staff introduced Dr. Keever as the acting superintendent effective Feb. 1. No formal votes on academic policy were taken at the meeting.