189 Schools Earn Virginia Purple Star Awards
RICHMOND —The Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children are recognizing 189 schools as “Purple Star” schools for the 2022-2023 school year. The Purple Star designation is awarded to military-friendly schools that have demonstrated their commitment to meeting the needs of military-connected students and their families.
To qualify for a Purple Star, schools must have a staff member designated as the point of contact for military students and families. The point of contact serves as the primary link between the military family and the school. Schools must also demonstrate their commitment to meeting the needs of military students by providing resources and programming on issues important to military families, such as academic planning and transitions between schools, divisions and states.
“Congratulations to all of these schools. Purple Star schools are committed to serving the children and families of the men and women who protect and serve our state and nation," Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said. "Their dedication to the academic success and well-being of Virginia’s military children is commendable."
The schools earning 2022-2023 Purple Star awards are as follows, by division (schools earning the award for a second time are in boldface):
- Arlington County — Arlington Career Center, Arlington Traditional School, Escuela Key Elementary, Hoffman-Boston Elementary, Kenmore Middle, Oakridge Elementary, Swanson Middle and Thomas Jefferson Middle.
- Chesapeake — Crestwood Middle, Great Bridge High, Great Bridge Middle, Greenbrier Intermediate, Greenbrier Middle, Hickory Elementary, Hugo Owens Middle, Indian River Middle, Jolliff Middle, Norfolk Highlands Primary, Oscar Smith Middle, Western Branch Middle and Hopkins Elementary.
- Fairfax County — Cardinal Forest Elementary, Carl Sandburg Middle, Colin Powell Elementary, Cub Run Elementary, Fairhill Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Fort Hunt Elementary, Franconia Elementary, Gunston Elementary, Hayfield Elementary, Hayfield Secondary School, Kent Gardens Elementary, Key Center School, Kings Glen Elementary, Lane Elementary, Laurel Ridge Elementary, Longfellow Middle, Mark Twain Middle, Mosaic Elementary, Mount Vernon High, North Springfield Elementary, Orange Hunt Elementary, Robert Frost Middle, Robinson Secondary School, Rocky Run Middle, Saratoga Elementary, Silverbrook Elementary, Springfield Estates Elementary, Stenwood Elementary, Stratford Landing Elementary, Sunrise Valley Elementary, Terra Centre Elementary, Thomas A. Edison High, T. Woodson High, Walt Whitman Middle, Washington Irving Middle, Washington Mill Elementary, West Potomac High, West Springfield High, Woodlawn Elementary and Woodley Hills Elementary.
- Fredericksburg — Hugh Mercer Elementary, Lafayette Elementary and Walker-Grant Middle.
- Gloucester County — Bethel Elementary, Botetourt Elementary, Gloucester High and Peasley Middle.
- Hampton — Armstrong Elementary School for the Arts, Jones Magnet Middle, Kecoughtan High, Paul D. Burbank Elementary and Thomas Eaton Fundamental Middle.
- Hanover County — Patrick Henry High.
- Loudoun County — Belmont Ridge Middle, Madison's Trust Elementary, Stone Hill Middle, Trailside Middle and Willard Middle.
- Newport News — Katherine G. Johnson Elementary.
- Norfolk — Academy for Discovery at Lakewood, Camp Allen Elementary, Larchmont Elementary, Northside Middle and Willoughby Early Childhood Center.
- Poquoson — Poquoson Elementary, Poquoson High, Poquoson Middle and Poquoson Primary School.
- Portsmouth — Churchland Middle and Victory Elementary.
- Prince George County —L. Beazley Elementary, North Elementary and South Elementary.
- Prince William County — Battlefield High, Bennett Elementary, Benton Middle, Bull Run Middle, Charles J. Colgan Jr. High, Forest Park High, Graham Park Middle, Henderson Elementary, Marshall Elementary, Pattie Elementary, Piney Branch Elementary, Potomac Shores Middle, Springwoods Elementary, Clay Wood Elementary, Westridge Elementary and Woodbridge Senior High.
- Spotsylvania County — Brock Road Elementary, Lee Hill Elementary and Wilderness Elementary.
- Stafford County — Margaret Brent Elementary, North Stafford High, Rockhill Elementary, Widewater Elementary and Winding Creek Elementary.
- Virginia Beach — Arrowhead Elementary, Atlanton Elementary, Bayside 6th Grade Campus, Bayside High, Bayside Middle, Brookwood Elementary, Centerville Elementary, Christopher Farms Elementary, Corporate Landing Middle, Creeds Elementary, Fairfield Elementary, First Colonial High, Glenwood Elementary, Green Run Collegiate, Green Run High, Holland Elementary, Independence Middle, Kempsville Meadows Elementary, Kempsville Middle, King's Grant Elementary, Landstown Elementary, Landstown High, Landstown Middle, Larkspur Middle, Luxford Elementary, Lynnhaven Middle, Ocean Lakes Elementary, Old Donation School, Pembroke Elementary, Pembroke Meadows Elementary, Plaza Middle, Providence Elementary, Princess Anne Elementary, Princess Anne Middle, Red Mill Elementary, Rosemont Forest Elementary, Salem High, Salem Middle, Strawbridge Elementary, Tallwood High, Thalia Elementary, Thoroughgood Elementary, Three Oaks Elementary, Trantwood Elementary and Technical and Career Education Center.
- Williamsburg-James City County — Lois S. Hornsby Middle and Warhill High.
- York County — Bethel Manor Elementary, Grafton Middle, Mount Vernon Elementary, Queens Lake Middle, Seaford Elementary, Tabb Elementary, Waller Mill Elementary, York High, York River Academy, Yorktown Elementary and Yorktown Middle.
Chesapeake is the first school division in Virginia to have all of its schools designated as Purple Star schools. Additionally, Willoughby Early Childhood Center in Norfolk is the first early childhood center to earn a Purple Star. Previously, the center earned the award as a school.
The following private and parochial schools also earned 2022 Purple Star awards: Browne Academy, Christ the King Catholic School, Peninsula Catholic High, Portsmouth Catholic Regional School, Saint Bernadette Catholic School, Saint Francis of Assisi School, Saint John the Apostle Catholic School, Saint Pius X School, Star of the Sea Catholic School and Saint Mary Star of the Sea School.
Schools earning the award receive a Virginia Purple Star commemorative coin to display and are listed as a Purple Star school on the VDOE website. Purple Star schools retain the designation for three years before being required to reapply.
This is the fifth year VDOE has designated Purple Star schools. Since 2018, VDOE and The Council on the Interstate Compact on the Educational Opportunity of Military Children have selected 328 schools across Virginia for the award of which 192 have been honored twice.
Virginia is home to several of the largest and most important military installations in the nation. Currently there are more than 80,000 school age military-connected students attending schools in the commonwealth. These include students with parents on active duty, in the reserves or in the Virginia National Guard.
The Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children was created in 2009 to oversee the commonwealth’s implementation of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The compact expresses the commitment of participating states to remove barriers to academic success for children of military families.
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