in Hampton Roads
For those moving to a new location, it’s important to know what educational options are available. This chapter outlines the public schools system in Hampton Roads, along with information about local libraries and higher education. There are private schools, charter schools and home schooling available to children in Hampton Roads as well.
To be enrolled in a Virginia school, a child must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 30 of the school year. Parents wishing to register a child for school should take the following to the school office: an official certified copy of the birth certificate (not a photocopy) or a sworn statement of the child’s age with an explanation of why the certified birth certificate cannot be provided; the child’s street address; and the three-part School Entrance Health Form (MCH 213F) completed by a licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant, indicating that the child has had a full physical exam within the past 12 months. Go to www.doe.virginia.gov/families/student_enrollment.shtml, the Virginia Department of Education website, for more information. For Virginia’s vaccine requirements for students in grades K-12, visit the Virginia Department of Health’s website at www.vdh.virginia.gov/immunization/requirements .
Virginia is one of the few states to reject Common Core education standards that provide a consistent set of educational expectations for students in the majority of other states, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Department of Defense Education Activity. Instead, Virginia uses Standards of Learning exams to regularly test students from kindergarten through 12th grade on their levels of learning and achievement; the standards are based on what students should learn in every grade in Virginia in the core subjects of English, mathematics, science and history. Students in grades three through 12 typically will take between two to four SOL tests each year.
Choosing a School
Choosing the right school is very important, so be sure to research each one before deciding. Contact the school by phone or by visiting its website, which is a valuable source to learn about a school district’s statistics and curriculum. Talk to people in the area, especially friends and colleagues who already live there.
If the school shows promise, schedule a visit and bring a list of written questions about student-teacher ratios, computer availability, extracurricular activities, sports programs, music programs, gifted programs and grading standards.
Discuss the potential school with your child: what they liked and what they didn’t like. Your family’s ability to readily adapt to a move and to find happiness in your new home may depend, in part, on how happy your children are in their new school.