Editing Virginia (section)

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Virginia}}
[[File:BUF IMG 5559 (33491723285).jpg|thumb|Middle school students in [[Albemarle County, Virginia|Albemarle County]] participate in an engineering program in partnership with the [[Smithsonian Institution]].|alt=Five middle school students work together at a table using a soldering iron]]
Virginia's educational system consistently ranks in the top five states on the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education's]] [[National Assessment of Educational Progress]], with Virginia students outperforming the average in all subject areas and grade levels tested.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.starexponent.com/news/virginia-students-fare-above-average-on-the-nations-report-card/article_6e3f8c98-222a-5ed8-ac3b-5b9aba859fd9.html |title= Virginia students fare above average on 'The Nation's Report Card' |newspaper= The Culpepper Star-Exponent |first= Justin |last= Mattingly |date= April 10, 2018 |access-date= July 12, 2020}}</ref> Virginia's K–7 schools had a [[student–teacher ratio]] of 12.41:1 as of the 2022–23 school year, and 12.52:1 for grades 8–12.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://schoolquality.virginia.gov/virginia-state-quality-profile#desktopTabs-7 |title= Student-Teacher Ratio |website= Virginia State Quality Profile |date= 2024 |access-date= November 11, 2024}}</ref> All school divisions must adhere to educational standards set forth by the [[Virginia Department of Education]], which maintains an assessment and accreditation regime known as the [[Standards of Learning]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/src/index.shtml|title=Virginia School Report Card|publisher=[[Virginia Department of Education]]|year=2007|access-date=February 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211134749/http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/src/index.shtml|archive-date=February 11, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>

Public [[K–12 (education)|K–12 schools]] in Virginia are generally operated by the counties and cities, and not by the state. {{As of|alt=As of the 2023–24 academic year|2024|post=,}} 1,261,962 students were enrolled in 2,254&nbsp;local and regional schools in the Commonwealth, including 56&nbsp;career and technical schools and 290&nbsp;alternative and special education centers across 126&nbsp;[[List of school divisions in Virginia|school divisions]]. Besides the general [[Public school (government-funded)|public schools]] in Virginia, there are [[Governor's Schools (Virginia)|Governor's Schools]] and selective [[magnet school]]s. The Governor's Schools are a collection of 52&nbsp;regional high schools and summer programs intended for gifted students,<ref name=doedata>{{cite web |url= https://www.doe.virginia.gov/data-policy-funding/data-reports/statistics-reports/enrollment-demographics |title= Enrollment & Demographics |website= Virginia Department of Education |date= 2024 |access-date= November 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/specialized-instruction/governor-s-schools|title= Governor's Schools|website=[[Virginia Department of Education]]|year=2022|access-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref> and include the [[Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology]], the top-rated high school in the country in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://wjla.com/news/local/thomas-jefferson-high-school-science-technology-alexandria-virginia-2022-top-spot-best-high-schools-report-rankings-us-news-world-scotus-controversial-admissions-process-decision-public-evaluation- |title= Thomas Jefferson High in Fairfax Co. ranked No. 1 best high school in the US: Report |website=  7News |date= April 27, 2022 |access-date= March 29, 2023}}</ref> The Virginia Council for Private Education oversees the regulation of 483 state accredited private schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vcpe.org/SCHOOL-LOCATOR|title=School Locater|website=Virginia Council for Private Education|year=2018|access-date=March 16, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220145607/https://vcpe.org/SCHOOL-LOCATOR|url-status=dead}}</ref> An additional 53,680&nbsp;students receive homeschooling.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.doe.virginia.gov/data-policy-funding/data-reports/statistics-reports/enrollment-demographics/home-schooled-students-religious-exemptions|title=Home Schooled Students & Religious Exemptions|year=2024|access-date=November 11, 2024|website=[[Virginia Department of Education]]}}</ref>

In 2022, 92.1% of high school students graduated on-time after four years,<ref name=grad2022/> and 89.3% of adults over the age 25 had their high school diploma.<ref name=QuickFacts>{{cite web |url= https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/VA |title= U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Virginia |website= U.S. Census Bureau |date= July 1, 2023 |access-date= March 29, 2024 |ref= CITEREFQUICKFACTS}}</ref> Virginia has one of the smaller racial gaps in graduation rates among U.S. states,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.jbhe.com/2020/03/the-racial-gap-in-four-year-high-school-graduation-rates/ |title= The Racial Gap in Four-Year High School Graduation Rates |website= Journal of Blacks in Higher Education |date= March 16, 2020 |access-date= July 11, 2020}}</ref> with 90.3% of Black students graduating on time, compared to 94.9% of white students and 98.3% of Asian students. Hispanic students had the highest [[High school dropouts in the United States|dropout rate]], at 13.95%, with high rates being correlated with students listed as [[English as a second or foreign language|English learners]].<ref name=grad2022>{{cite news |url= https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/a-look-at-graduation-rate-data-for-virginias-public-high-school-class-of-2022/ |title=  A look at graduation rate data for Virginia's public high school Class of 2022 |first= Dean |last= Mirshahi |website= ABC 8 News |date= October 12, 2022 |access-date= April 2, 2023}}</ref> Despite ending [[School segregation in the United States|school segregation]] in the 1960s, seven percent of Virginia's public schools were rated as "intensely segregated" by [[The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles|The Civil Rights Project at UCLA]] in 2019, and the number has risen since 1989, when only three percent were.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.virginiamercury.com/2019/08/26/decades-after-brown-decision-virginia-is-still-grappling-with-school-segregation/ |title= Decades after Brown decision, Virginia is still grappling with school segregation |first= Mechelle |last= Hankerson |date= August 26, 2019 |newspaper= The Virginia Mercury |access-date= July 11, 2020}}</ref> Virginia has comparatively large public school districts, typically comprising entire counties or cities, and this helps mitigate funding gaps seen in other states such that non-white districts average slightly more funding, $255 per student {{as of|2019|lc=on}}, than majority white districts.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/report-finds-23-billion-racial-funding-gap-for-schools/2019/02/25/d562b704-3915-11e9-a06c-3ec8ed509d15_story.html |title= Report finds $23 billion racial funding gap for schools |newspaper= The Washington Post |first= Laura |last= Meckler |date= February 26, 2019 |access-date= July 12, 2020}}</ref> Elementary schools, with Virginia's smallest districts, were found to be more segregated than state middle or high schools by a 2019 VCU study.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://richmond.com/news/local/education/vcu-study-school-segregation-worsening-in-virginia/article_a80039ec-2b54-5178-91c2-6812ff3b2307.html |title= VCU study: School segregation worsening in Virginia |newspaper= The Richmond Times-Dispatch |first= Kenya |last= Hunter |date= November 14, 2020 |access-date= November 15, 2020}}</ref>

===Colleges and universities===
{{See also|List of colleges and universities in Virginia}}
[[File:Falling Upwards; The Rotunda at the University of Virginia.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Virginia]] guarantees full tuition scholarships to all in-state Virginia students with family incomes of $80,000 or less.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://vpm.org/news/articles/7367/uva-promises-free-tuition-to-middle-income-students-similar-trend-at-other |title= UVA Promises Free Tuition To Middle Income Students, Similar Trend At Other Universities Nationwide |website= Virginia Public Media/NPR |first= Megan |last= Pauly |date= October 2, 2019 |access-date= July 12, 2020}}</ref>]]
{{As of|2020}}, Virginia has the [[List of U.S. states and territories by educational attainment|sixth-highest percent of residents]] with bachelor's degrees or higher, with 39.5%.<ref name=QuickFacts/> The [[United States Department of Education|Department of Education]] recognizes 163 [[List of colleges and universities in Virginia|colleges and universities in Virginia]].<ref name=nces>{{cite web|url=http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=VA|title=College Navigator—Search Results|website=[[National Center for Education Statistics]]|publisher=[[United States Department of Education]]|year=2022|access-date=August 9, 2022}}</ref> In the 2022 ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' ranking of national public universities, the [[University of Virginia]] is ranked 3rd, the [[College of William and Mary]] is 13th, [[Virginia Tech]] is 23rd, [[George Mason University]] is 65th, [[James Madison University]] is 72nd, and [[Virginia Commonwealth University]] is 83rd.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.thecentersquare.com/virginia/report-uva-is-3rd-best-public-university-william-mary-drops/article_2394aca6-3387-11ed-b0bf-ef82afeff89a.html |title= Report: UVA is 3rd best public university; William & Mary drops |first= Tyler |last= Arnold |website= The Center Square |date= September 13, 2022 |access-date= February 7, 2023}}</ref> There are 119 private institutions in the state, including [[Washington and Lee University]] and the [[University of Richmond]], which are ranked as the country's 11th and 18th best liberal arts colleges respectively.<ref name=nces/><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/va?schoolType=national-liberal-arts-colleges |title= National Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking |website= U.S. News & World Report |date= September 2022 |access-date= February 7, 2023}}</ref>

Virginia Tech and [[Virginia State University]] are the state's [[land-grant university|land-grant universities]], and Virginia State is one of its five [[historically black colleges and universities]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://richmondmagazine.com/news/the-fierce-five-virginia-hbcus/ |title= The Fierce Five: Virginia HBCUs |magazine= Richmond Magazine |first= Samantha |last= Willis |date= September 22, 2015 |access-date= May 26, 2021}}</ref> The [[Virginia Military Institute]] is the oldest state [[military academy|military college]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.richmond.com/news/local/education/we-were-no-different-virginia-military-institute-integrated-years-ago/article_571bc89f-cb06-5995-a812-dfc12f3616db.html |title= 'We were no different': Virginia Military Institute integrated 50 years ago |first= Justin |last= Mattingly |newspaper= Richmond Times-Dispatch |date= December 20, 2018 |access-date= March 16, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181224102115/https://www.richmond.com/news/local/education/we-were-no-different-virginia-military-institute-integrated-years-ago/article_571bc89f-cb06-5995-a812-dfc12f3616db.html |archive-date= December 24, 2018 |url-status= live}}</ref> Virginia also operates [[Virginia Community College System|23&nbsp;community colleges]] on 40&nbsp;campuses which enrolled 199,926&nbsp;degree-seeking students during the 2021–2022 school year.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.vccs.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/VCCS-Fact-Sheet-2021-2022_Update_MB.pdf |title= VCCS Fact Sheet 2021–2022 |publisher=Virginia's Community Colleges |date= February 27, 2023 |access-date= June 24, 2024}}</ref> In 2021, the state made community college free for most low- and middle-income students.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/virginia-governor-signs-bills-creating-tuition-free-community-college-program-for-low-middle-income-students/ |title=  Virginia governor signs bills creating tuition-free community college program for low, middle-income students |website= ABC8 WRIC |first= Delaney |last= Hall |date= March 30, 2021 |access-date= March 31, 2021}}</ref> George Mason University had the largest on-campus enrollment at 40,390&nbsp;students {{As of|2023|lc=on}},<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2023/08/28/gmu-enrollment-record.html |title= George Mason University enrolls 40,000 students for the fall, a state record |website= Washington Business Journal |first= Michael |last= Neibauer |date= August 29, 2023 |access-date= June 24, 2024}}</ref> though the private [[Liberty University]] had the largest total enrollment in the state, with 115,000&nbsp;online and 15,800&nbsp;on-campus students in [[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]] {{As of|2022|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/10/28/liberty-university-enrolls-largest-student-body-in-its-history/ |title= Liberty University enrolls largest student body in its history |website= WSLS 10 |first= Lauren |last= Helkowsk |date= October 28, 2022 |access-date= June 24, 2024}}</ref>