Virginia Students Show Gains, But Gaps Remain

Virginia’s latest Standards of Learning (SOL) results show movement in the right direction. Reading and math scores ticked upward in 2023–24, but school divisions, including Newport News, are still working to climb back to pre-pandemic performance levels.

 

Statewide picture

Seventy percent of divisions improved in reading. Seventy-five percent posted gains in math for grades 3 through 8. Governor Glenn Youngkin called it “progress” and pointed to a shift in direction. 

 

Chronic absenteeism also declined, from 19.3% to 16.1%. More students are showing up, and that matters. Regular attendance is often the foundation for academic recovery.

 

Newport News snapshot

The city’s average SOL pass rate sits at 53%. That figure mirrors nearby Norfolk and Portsmouth—evidence of regional challenges, but also of shared momentum. 

 

Local schools are using targeted strategies, including the All in VA program with high-intensity tutoring, to close gaps created during the pandemic.

 

Changing the system 

The state has adjusted how SOLs work:

• Scores now count as 10% of a student’s final grade.
• Tests happen in the last two weeks of the year, creating time for retakes.

 

Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson described these steps as modernizing assessment and giving students more opportunities to succeed.

 

Looking ahead, the trend line is positive. The challenge is whether Newport News and Virginia as a whole can sustain these gains and push past the plateau. The new school year will provide the next measure.