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Central High has officially made the list. The school was one of just 92 across the state to earn the Virginia Board of Education’s Highest Achievement Award this year. The annual award is given out to recognize schools that excelled in all areas. Every year, the Board of Education gives out two sets of “Exemplar” awards. The first is to recognize growth, to honor schools that improved from year to year. There were 49 on that list for 2024. The second is to pay tribute to schools like Central High that excelled across the board. 

In order to make this second list, a school has to perform higher than the state standard in reading, math and science in the Standards of Learning tests. That goes for all student groups across the school. Also, the school in question has to be rated better than the state average in the graduation and dropout rate, as well as chronic absenteeism. And based on scores, pass rates and data from this past school year, Central High certainly qualifies.  

“Lunenburg County Public Schools is honored that Central High School has been designated as an Exemplar School by the Virginia Department of Education,” said Lunenburg County Superintendent Dr. Sharon Stanislas. “This accomplishment is a testament of the hard work of our administrators, staff, students, families, and community partners, as last year Central High School was accredited with conditions due to the challenges of chronic absenteeism. Such an achievement is not only reflective of the past work done but also a compass for future success as we continue to strive to provide opportunities for all students to reach their maximum potential at Central High School and all other schools across the division.” 

Central High growth from year to year 

As Dr. Stanislas mentioned, the school succeeded in all areas. 

Last year, for example, Central High was struggling with chronic absenteeism. Students just weren’t coming to class. 

Of 482 students, 143 were reported at or above 10% Absenteeism, meaning 29.67% of Central High School students were chronically absent during the 2022-2023 school term. For the prior year school term, 2021-2022, absenteeism was reported at 12.39%, with 59 students reported at or above 10% Absenteeism.

Now look at this past school year. Within one year of being superintendent, Stanislas worked with her staff and turned that around. The percentage of chronically absent students for the 2023-24 school year stood at 7.72%. That’s a drop of more than 20% in less than a 12-month period. 

Breaking down the numbers

Central High students also scored at or above state standards in every single category, something that’s also been extremely rare. 

Finally, there are two numbers taken from the data that spotlight growth in the district. First is the graduation rate, as 95.7% of students from the Class of 2024 finished on time. To put that in perspective, this is the first time since before the pandemic that’s happened. Even then, pre-pandemic, the on-time graduation rate hovered around 91.6%. Also of importance is Central High’s dropout rate, which currently stands at 1.52%. That’s again an improvement from 2022, where 6.35% of students dropped out from class. 

“Being recognized in the Exemplar School Recognition Program is a direct reflection of a school’s commitment to high performance and increasing excellence,” said Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons. “I am proud of each of the 141 schools that have been recognized today, and I commend each school’s leadership, educators, students, and community for earning this achievement.”