All Newport News Public Schools fully accredited, graduation rates rise to 97%
Posted: December 10, 2025
All Newport News Public Schools are fully accredited under the Virginia Department of Education's new assessment and accountability model used for the 2025-2026 school year. Additionally, in 2025 NNPS saw its on-time graduation rate rise to 97.26% up from 93.56% in 2024.
Deer Park, General Stanford, and Hilton Elementary Schools all received the Distinguished rating in the performance category for the 2025-2026 school year.
"I'm very proud of the work that all of our teachers, staff, and families put into our students last school year, and very pleased with the progress we're making," said NNPS Superintendent Dr. Michele Mitchell. "It's a pleasure to serve as their superintendent and to continue to build on all of our hard work."
Nearly half of Newport News' schools earned either a Distinguished or an On Track designation, including all high schools.
The 2024-2025 school year also brought a decrease in chronic absenteeism rates across the school division by a total of 18.18%, compared to 2023-2024. Sixteen schools in NNPS improved student attendance by reducing the chronic absenteeism rate by more than 20%. As such, NNPS was recognized by VDOE as having innovative programs to improve student attendance.
Additionally, NNPS reduced its number of schools identified as needing additional federal support by nearly 50%. Based on a decision by the VDOE-for the first time ever-not to round up accountability scores, five schools missed the On Track status score of 80 by less than one point, including four schools at 79.7 or above.
"NNPS is a school division on the rise as evidenced by our increased on-time graduation rate, demonstrating measurable growth, stronger Tier 1 instruction, and improved outcomes across all content areas and grade levels," said NNPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Kipp Rogers.
NNPS saw increases in student performance across all core content areas as a result of strengthening Tier 1 instruction, implementing evidence-based literacy practices, and fostering a positive culture and climate within the schools. Performance in science and social studies rose significantly across the division, with double-digit increases in Grade 8 science and in Virginia and U.S. History and World History II.
"This level of progress is the result of intentional, focused work in classrooms across the division," Mitchell said. "Our staff continues to demonstrate what is possible when students receive strong instruction and the support they need."
