NNPS at a Glance

More than 1,600 members of the Class of 2026 crossed the stage in June of 2026 to receive their high school diplomas.

The graduates of the Class of 2026 earned more than $77 million in scholarships and received approximately 2,500 college, university and military institution acceptance offers. Newport News Public Schools prepared these graduates to be prepared for any avenue they choose to pursue.

Four NNPS teachers became National Board Certified, which is the highest credential in the teaching profession: General Stanford Elementary School pre-kindergarten teacher Charron Bournes, An Achievable Dream Middle & High School science teacher Aleah Dungee, An Achievable Dream Middle & High School math teacher Kaitlyn Edwards and Gildersleeve Middle School science teacher Lexi Willis.

Eight NNPS Career and Technical Education teachers were named W!se Gold Star Teachers for their students’ successful performance on the W!se Financial Literacy Certification Test: Towanda Alister at Woodside High School, Lisa McAlister and Hope London at Denbigh High School, Karin McKinney and Tiffanie Smith at Heritage High School, Stephanie Gwaltney at Menchville High School, Elizabeth Anderson at Point Option, and Kimberly Grant at Warwick High School. To earn the Gold Star Award, a teacher must have at least a 93% passing rate on the W!SE (Working in Support of Education) Financial Literacy Certification Test in at least one class during the school year.

Janet Costello, a social studies teacher at Woodside High School, was awarded the James Madison Graduate Fellowship for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation offers the $24,000 fellowships to one applicant per state annually who desires to become an outstanding teacher of the American Constitution at the secondary school level.

Woodside High School’s professional school counseling team was Virginia’s representative as one of 26 schools in the country to be selected as a School of Excellence by the ACT’s American College Application Campaign. The award is given for a school’s 2025 Virginia College Application Week event.

All Newport News Public Schools were fully accredited under the Virginia Department of Education's new assessment and accountability model used for the 2025-2026 school year. 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. Nearly half of Newport News’ schools earned either a Distinguished or an On Track designation, including all high schools.

The 2024-2025 school year brought a decrease in chronic absenteeism rates across the school division by a total of 15.9%, 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.

Many additional students in NNPS ate breakfast at school last school year than the previous year, according to No Kid Hungry Virginia. NNPS had one of the top 10 largest increases when measuring the number of students newly eating breakfast on the average school day. During the same time, chronic absenteeism in NNPS decreased. Making breakfast available is linked to more students regularly attending school.

The Maritime Engineering and Environmental Studies Academy, which is a collaborative lab school partnership between Old Dominion University and NNPS, opened and welcomed its first class of students in the fall of 2025. The new program focuses on maritime engineering and maritime environmental studies and is housed in the Oyster Point business area. MEESA participants can earn dual enrollment credits towards ODU while preparing for college and career opportunities available in various fields related to the maritime industry.

NNPS’ new at home Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Academy began in the fall and selected students in grades four through eight participated in the virtual afterschool program throughout the school year. Over the next three years, the program will serve 900 NNPS students in grades 4-8, with 300 students participating each year. The STEM academies are free with all high-quality tools and materials provided, and are funded by the Department of Defense Education Activity grant Mission STEM: Pioneering Pathways in Robotics and Space Exploration.

NNPS’ Telecom program began a new partnership for students to receive college credits for their courses through dual enrollment with Old Dominion University. Additionally, Telecom’s two-year career and technical education program started providing internships for ODU students.

Hidenwood and McIntosh elementary schools made the Virginia Quality Birth to Five Improvement Honor Roll for the Chesapeake Bay Region, which places them in the top 10% of Virginia schools that showed improvement in the VQB5 ratings. The schools, each of which have one Program for Educating Exceptional Preschoolers class that is evaluated by VQB5, were recognized for showing year-to-year improvement in the CLASS observations category.

NNPS led the One City Reads initiative to get all of Newport News reading together in December, 2025. Students and citizens were encouraged to read, discuss, and participate in events and activities centered around selected books “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate and “Framed!” by James Ponti.

NNPS students Ruby Goodwin from Newsome Park Elementary School and Isaiah McClain from Gildersleeve Middle School were selected to showcase innovative programming at the Virginia Society for Technology in Education Annual Conference on December 7, 2025, at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. NNPS students and teachers participated in VSTE Kid Talks, an annual statewide showcase focused on student innovation, technology, leadership and learning. Students participated in a panel discussion followed by poster sessions and a demonstration in the Exhibition Hall.

NNPS developed and launched its new NNPS Scholarship Portal. The website lists all scholarship opportunities with their application information in one place, making it easier for students and families to find money for college and beyond.

NNPS students focused on the importance and benefits of attending school daily as the school division kicked off its Every Day Counts — We Need You Here division-wide attendance initiative in March, 2025. Schools participating in an attendance contest, distributed attendance pledge cards, created materials to promote attendance and participated in an elementary school design challenge.

The VDOE established three regional STEM hubs with NNPS leading the Tidewater and Region 2 hub. The hubs are tasked with jointly establishing the foundation of the Virginia STEM Ecosystem. By coordinating efforts across regions, the hubs aim to eliminate fragmentation and create a unified approach to STEM education that supports talent development, innovation and economic growth in Virginia.

Sentara Health extended its innovative school-based telehealth clinics to NNPS. Telehealth clinics at Newsome Park Elementary School and Stoney Run Elementary School started operating in the fall of 2025. The partnership establishes in-school health clinics comprised of an on-site licensed practical nurse paired virtually with Sentara’s providers such as a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or medical doctor.

The Virginia Project ADAM program officially designated An Achievable Dream Middle & High School a Virginia Project ADAM Heart Safe School. Project ADAM status is granted to a school that meets the established criteria to show its preparedness for responding to a sudden cardiac arrest on school grounds.

NNPS Department of Teaching & Learning PK-12 Social Studies hosted its first annual Social Studies Symposium on April 18, 2025. The event was themed America at 250: What Stories Can We Tell? It included a series of brief lectures by historians, an exhibit hall featuring local museums, and a student art contest on display.

NNPS students earned first place and third place honors in Congressman Bobby Scott’s Congressional App Challenge. The MEESA team of Malachai Finch, Amari Gatling, Amialyn Lipsey and Dameon Saunders won the competition with its Library Logistics App. Menchville High School student Owen Balingit received third place for his app, VisiTracker.

Kyla Leggette, a senior at Menchville High School and the student representative to the School Board, was selected to participate in the United States Senate Youth Program. Leggette was one of two students from Virginia chosen by the Virginia Department of Education to join Senator Tim Kaine and Senator Mark Warner in representing Virginia during the 64th annual USSYP Washington Week, March 7-14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

Katherine G. Johnson Elementary School and Ella Fitzgerald Middle School were recognized with 2025-2026 Purple Star awards, 2nd Award and 1st Award respectively, from the Virgina Department of Education. The Virginia Purple Star Designation is awarded to military-friendly schools that have demonstrated a major commitment to students and families connected to the U.S. military.

Soundscapes honored NNPS with its Community Partner Award in February at the 2026 Soundscapes Gala. NNPS has supported since its inception Soundscapes, a non-profit organization in Newport News that provides music instruction and ensemble performance opportunities after school for students to strengthen social, emotional, creative and critical thinking skills.

Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to the Newport News School Board for its annual budget document for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. In addition, the Association of School Business Officials International awarded NNPS’ budget its Meritorious Budget Award.

NNPS was honored with the 2026 Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. This is the ninth time NNPS has received this recognition.

An Achievable Dream Academy, McIntosh Elementary School, Riverside Elementary School and Yates Elementary School competed in the 2026 Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament in March hosted by Menchville High School. An Achievable Dream won the competition and advanced to compete in the state tournament, where it earned a fourth place finish in its problem and division.

Numerous NNPS teams and individuals qualified in March for the 2026 National Archery in the Schools Program U.S. Eastern Nationals. Several NNPS archers achieved top 10 individual finishes and personal best scores.

Two NNPS students placed in the 2026 Virginia School Boards Association Tidewater Region Student Art Contest in April. Deer Park Elementary School fourth grader Kingston Brown-El won first place in the Elementary School Division and Woodside High School eleventh grader Troy Dam took third place in the High School Division. Brown-El’s piece advanced to the state competition.

NNPS Telecom students were honored with a Viddy Award for an episode of their “High School Cookoff!” show. The Viddy Awards is an international competition honoring video excellence.

Warwick High School’s Ariana Logsdon won the 2025-2026 Virginia High School League Class 5 Girls Cross Country Individual State Championship.

Menchville High School’s Jose McCauley earned the 2025-2026 VHSL Class 5 Boys Diving State Championship.

Warwick High School’s Ariana Logsdon won the 2025-2026 VHSL Class 5 Girls 1600 Meters State Championship.

Woodside High School’s Xavier Canfield, Jr., won the 2025-2026 VHSL Class 5 Boys Outdoor Track and Field Triple Jump State Championship.

Woodside High School’s team won the 2025-2026 VHSL Class 5 One Act Play State Championship.

Five high school student music students earned All-Virginia distinction. Menchville High School student Valentina Davila was named to the All-Virginia Chorus. Menchville students Abigail Mayer, Connor Landers and Joseph Lowder, as well as Woodside High School student Colin Smallridge, were named to the All-Virginia Band. Selection to an All-Virginia ensemble represents the highest honor that the Virginia Music Educators Association can bestow up on a student musician.

Menchville High School’s Band earned the Virginia Honor Band designation for the 12th time. Bands achieving superior ratings at the state marching band festival and at a district concert festival are recognized as an Honor Band, the highest award that can be bestowed upon bands by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association.