Washington County Public Schools Demonstrate Strong Performance Growth in State Accountability Results
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. — Washington County Public Schools is celebrating strong results following the release of Virginia’s 2025–2026 School Performance and Support Framework results.
Thirteen of Washington County’s 15 schools earned the state’s Distinguished rating, while the remaining two schools earned Meets Expectations. As a result, all 15 WCPS schools met or exceeded state expectations under Virginia’s accountability framework. We are extremely excited to announce that Holston High had the highest Framework score in the State!
The 2025–2026 ratings for WCPS schools are:
Abingdon Elementary School — Distinguished
Abingdon High School — Meets Expectations
Damascus Middle School — Distinguished
E.B. Stanley Middle School — Distinguished
Glade Spring Middle School — Meets Expectations
Greendale Elementary School — Distinguished
High Point Elementary School — Distinguished
Holston High School — Distinguished
John S. Battle High School — Distinguished
Meadowview Elementary School — Distinguished
Patrick Henry High School — Distinguished
Rhea Valley Elementary School — Distinguished
Valley Institute Elementary School — Distinguished
Wallace Middle School — Distinguished
Watauga Elementary School — Distinguished
In addition to Holston High’s top overall score, several WCPS schools were recognized among the state’s highest-performing schools based on their overall framework scores. All four Washington County high schools ranked among the top 20 schools statewide. John S. Battle High School ranked seventh, Abingdon High School ranked ninth and Patrick Henry High School ranked 17th. With more than 1,800 public schools statewide, this is an amazing accomplishment for our students and staff!
Several WCPS schools were also recognized among the state’s top schools for growth in their overall framework scores.
Five Washington County schools – Abingdon Elementary School, Damascus Middle School, Abingdon High School, Holston High School and John S. Battle High School – ranked among the top 10 schools in Virginia for score gains within their respective school levels from last year to this year. Abingdon Elementary School had the highest growth in overall framework score statewide. Patrick Henry High School ranked among the top 20 in growth as well.
We realize that there will be confusion about the discrepancy between Abingdon High School’s excellent performance and its designation. The school was rated Distinguished in 2024-2025 and was among the highest-growth high schools in the Commonwealth in the 2025–2026 results. The school’s score was 23 points above the minimum standard for Distinguished status and had the ninth-highest overall score in the Commonwealth. However, due to a federal accountability model variation, Abingdon High School’s final reported designation was adjusted to Meets Expectations. WCPS will provide further information about this adjustment soon.
“We are very proud of the academic performance of all schools in Washington County. Our success can be attributed to our focus on doing whatever it takes to help our students succeed,” Superintendent Keith Perrigan said. “That recipe includes amazing students, dedicated teachers, supportive parents, a board that is focused on academic excellence and recruiting/retaining the best staff possible to ensure that classrooms and students have the support they need to excel.”
Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework provides a broader measure of school performance than traditional accreditation measures. The framework considers multiple indicators, including student achievement, academic growth, chronic absenteeism and other measures of student readiness and success.
The framework places schools into four performance categories: Distinguished, Meets Expectations, Approaching Expectations and Needs Intensive Support. The 2025–2026 results mark the second year Virginia has used the current framework.
