The Goochland County Public Schools were recently recognized by Niche.com as the 8th Best School District in Virginia. This rating is based on a rigorous analysis of statistics as well as student and parent reviews for schools across the Commonwealth. In a statement released by Niche, GCPS “achieved this ranking by scoring highly on a variety of factors including SAT/ACT scores, student-teacher ratio, the quality of colleges that students consider, and reviews from students and parents”.
When determining a rating, Niche ranks various factors and weights different performance measures. The greatest weight is placed on an academic measure and is 50% of the rating. Culture & diversity, health & safety, student & parent surveys, and teacher quality are each weighted at 10%. Resources & facilities are 5% of the overall assessment, while clubs, activities and sports are weighted at 2.5% each.
In addition to receiving this recognition as one of the top school divisions in the Commonwealth, Goochland High School ranked in the top 100 of public high schools in the state. Dr. Jeremy Raley, Superintendent for Goochland County Public Schools, attributes this success to the talented employees who work for GCPS and the investment that the Goochland County Community has made in public education. “This accomplishment is made possible by the skills and talent of our dedicated workforce who strive every day to maximize the potential of every learner. In addition, this success is the result of a supportive School Board and community that values excellence”.
Goochland County Public Schools have demonstrated their superior performance across all dimensions of the total school experience . In addition to this most recent rating, GCPS is only one of 10 school divisions in Virginia to have all of its schools fully accredited for 10 straight years. On state assessments, Goochland students outperformed the Virginia state average in SOL pass percentage in all content areas. Goochland students had the 6th best social studies scores in the state and the 11th best reading SOL scores when compared to other students in the Commonwealth. In addition, GCPS has received recognition by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for serving as a model for budget development and Kenny Bouwens, a teacher at Goochland High School, represents the division as the State Technology Education Teacher of the Year.
“Goochland County Public Schools is a proud and successful school division that has demonstrated its success as a leader in providing students with innovative and authentic learning experiences that will allow students to gain the skills and abilities that are needed to be successful in a changing global economy. We are proud of our accomplishments and look forward to continually striving to inspire and prepare our students to make a positive impact in the world around them”. – Dr. Jeremy Raley, Superintendent
For a full list of the 2017 rankings methodologies and data sources from Niche, visit k12.niche.com/rankings