Hampton City Schools reports a 98.88% on-time graduation rate and 0.2% dropout rate. 

• HIGHEST on-time graduation rate and LOWEST dropout rate in the history of the school division
• Exceeding a 95% on-time graduation rate for SIX consecutive years 

On-time Graduation Rate: The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) reported 98.88% of Hampton’s 2025 graduates (1,512 students) earned their diplomas in four years, surpassing the statewide average of 92.7%. 

With the division’s focus on equity, on-time graduation rates continue to exceed the state rate when looking at student performance groups who are historically underrepresented. 

• Specifically, our students with disabilities have an on-time graduation rate of 100%, compared to the state average of 91.13%. 
• Our English Learners (students who speak English as a second language) graduated on-time at a rate of 97.62%, compared to the state’s average of 76.62%.
• Our Hispanic students’ on-time graduation rate is 99.17%, compared to the state’s average of 85%.
• Looking at the student group of African American students, Hampton’s on-time graduation rate is 98.50%, compared to the state average of 91.70%.
• Our homeless student population has an on-time graduation rate of 100%, compared to the state average of 76.86%.
• Our economically disadvantaged students outpaced the state with an on-time graduation rate of 98.25%, compared to the state average of 89.58%.

To view the comparison of Hampton’s student performance groups to the state’s student performance groups, click here or visit https://bit.ly/4iKoJ8F.

 

Students who earn high school equivalency certificates — such as a GED — or complete high school without earning a diploma are not included as graduates in calculating on-time graduation rates. Hampton City Schools is proud of our students who graduated on-time with a diploma, as well as our students who earn a GED or a certificate of completion. Hampton City Schools completion rate for all of our students for the Class of 2025 (i.e., diplomas, GED, certificate of completion) is 99.28% compared to the state average of 93.57%.

 

Dropout Rate: The dropout rate for the Class of 2025 in the Commonwealth of Virginia is 5.1%. Hampton’s 2025 dropout rate is 0.2%.

• Lowest dropout rate in the history of the school division.
• With a 0.2% dropout rate, HCS continues to have a dropout rate of less than 1% for FIVE consecutive years. 

“Our 98.88% on-time graduation rate and 0.2% dropout rate for the Class of 2025 are powerful indicators of the progress we are making as a division,” says Superintendent Dr. Raymond Haynes. “These outcomes reflect not only the dedication of our students, but also the intentional work taking place from kindergarten through high school. Through the division’s Master Plan 2.0, we are strengthening instruction, expanding real-world learning, and aligning our practices across the K–12 continuum. Combined with the Academies of Hampton and our community-connected learning experiences, we are ensuring every student is prepared for college, careers, and life. This success would not be possible without the commitment of our teachers, staff, administrators, School Board, families, City Council, and community partners. Together, we are transforming outcomes for students across Hampton City Schools.”

State’s New Accreditation and Accountability System - All HCS Schools Fully Accredited and Six Schools are Distinguished

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has implemented a new statewide accreditation and accountability system for the 2025-2026 school year, based on data from the  2024-2025 school year. 

In the area of accreditation, while the categories remain the same (i.e., Fully Accredited, Conditionally Accredited, Accreditation Denied, or Accreditation Withheld) the state is no longer determining a school’s accreditation status based on student outcome measures. Accreditation ratings now hold schools accountable for operational and structural standards rather than primarily academic performance. Schools must submit satisfactory evidence that they meet core operational standards, including:

• Offering the full instructional program required by state law — including core academic courses, electives, and required credits for graduation. 
• Ensuring grade-level promotion and retention policies comply with regulatory requirements. 
• Maintaining staffing and administrative levels — adequate teachers, support services (library/media, student services), and instructional staff to support required programming.
• Providing the necessary supports for instruction and student services (e.g., school facilities, safety, technology, auxiliary services). 
• Meeting graduation requirements, including course offerings, credits, and core subject coverage.
• Compliance with the broader goals and objectives of public education in Virginia — such as preparing students for citizenship, work, and further education. 

In the area of accountability, the state’s new system measures demonstrate how students are mastering grade-level content (English, mathematics, science), whether each student is making sufficient progress (English and mathematics), how the school is preparing students for the next phase of their education, and where schools can improve. The following categories are used in the accountability system to denote a school’s performance: Distinguished (exceeding expectations; serving as models for other schools - 90+ points), On Track (meeting expectations - 80 to 89 points), Off Track (not meeting expectations; receiving extra state support - 70 to 79 points), or Needs Intensive Support (significantly below expectations; receiving the strongest support - below 70 points).

Results for Hampton City Schools

• Accreditation - 100% of HCS are Fully Accredited (29 out of 29).
• Accountability (before including Federal Indicators) - 93% of schools (27 out of 29) met the benchmark of 80 points or above for the state’s new accountability framework score to be recognized as Distinguished (90+ points) or On Track (80-89). 
• Accountability (including Federal Indicators) - While 93% of schools received a final accountability score of 80 points or above, seven schools’ Final Performance Category rankings were moved from On Track to Off Track because the performance of one student group did not meet the established index score. Additionally, one school’s ranking was shifted from Off Track to Needs Intensive Support (see Table 1).
  

Table 1 shows each HCS school’s performance within the Accountability Framework Score. As noted above, the final performance category for several schools was adjusted due to the performance of students with disabilities on the reading, mathematics, or science Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments. The division has identified this group of students as an area of focus and developed targeted action plans to address existing learning gaps at the elementary level. While the SOL performance of HCS students with disabilities continues to exceed state averages in three of the four tested content areas (Reading – HCS 43%, VA 45%; Math – HCS 48%, VA 45%; Science – HCS 50%, VA 42%; History – HCS 43%, VA 37%), our data show encouraging trends: the learning gaps present in elementary school steadily decrease as students with disabilities move into middle school, and narrow even further by high school.

“The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has implemented a new statewide accreditation and accountability system for the 2025–2026 school year, and we have closely monitored updates to this system since the beginning of the year,” says Superintendent Dr. Raymond Haynes. “However, guidance released this week outlines additional business rules that now factor into the state’s accountability determinations, resulting in several of our schools’ ratings being adversely impacted.”

“Regardless of these shifts in the state’s model, our goal remains unchanged: we are committed to ensuring that all Hampton City Schools reach Distinguished or On Track status. According to the state’s latest list, seven of our schools now fall into the Off Track designation and one school now falls into the Needs Intensive Support category. These schools continue to outperform state averages and have met the indicators for all students in reading, mathematics, and science. However, their accountability status was changed from On Track to Off Track because performance within a single student subgroup fell below a newly established minimum cut point.”

Haynes continues to share, “It is important to emphasize that each of these schools has consistently demonstrated strong performance under the state’s former accreditation system. We will continue seeking clarity from VDOE while providing strong, targeted support to our schools. Our focus remains ensuring that every student meets or exceeds the benchmarks necessary for long-term success.”