Washington and Prince William County Schools Earn National Recognition
For Immediate Release: November 18, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
[email protected]
Richmond, Va. — The Virginia Department of Education has selected Greendale Elementary School in Washington County and Belmont Elementary School in Prince William County as Virginia’s two 2024 National ESEA Distinguished Schools.
Prince William County’s Belmont Elementary was recognized for closing its achievement gap between student groups. The school saw significant improvement in its unadjusted math SOL pass rate from 2023 to 2024, increasing 23% for English Language Learners, 11% for Students with Disabilities, 20% for Hispanic students, 17% for Black students, 13% for Economically Disadvantaged students, and 7% for Asian students. Additionally, the school’s student groups scored higher than the state average on the reading and math SOLs by the following percentage points, respectively:
- Students with Disabilities: 20%, 27%
- English Language Learners students: 19%, 22%
- Economically Disadvantaged students: 12%, 16%
- Hispanic students: 11%, 19%
- Black students: 11%, 15%
Belmont Elementary is a Title I school with students born in 21 different countries speaking 22 different languages.
“The efforts of Ms. Joy Greene and her dedicated team of educators and staff at Belmont Elementary School have helped provide targeted and focused instruction to meet the needs of their students,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons. “As a result of their hard work, such as the numerous community and family partnerships, data-driven instruction and review, co-planning and co-teaching efforts, and robust tutoring opportunities, the school has closed achievement gaps and raised performance across student groups. Congratulations on this incredible accomplishment.”
Both schools will be recognized during the 2024 National ESEA Conference on February 19-21, 2025, in Austin, Texas.
ESEA is the abbreviation for the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the primary source of federal aid for elementary and secondary education requiring states to establish long-term and interim goals for increasing student achievement in reading and mathematics. ESEA provides funds to all of Virginia’s school divisions for supplemental educational support to eligible schools. The focus of these programs is to raise the achievement level of students at risk of academic failure due to poverty and other factors.
The Distinguished Schools Program, a project of the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators, recognizes federally funded schools from each state for their outstanding achievements in education. Each year, only two schools per state are chosen as National ESEA Distinguished Schools, underscoring the prestigious nature of this honor.
The above press release can be found in its entirety on the VDOE website: NEWS RELEASE