This week, the Virginia Department of Education released its accreditation standings for all of the Commonwealth’s public schools. In recent years, the anticipation surrounding the release of this information has caused much handwringing and concern over how well, or poorly, local schools would fare. This year, however, is a different story.

For the first time in many years, all of our local schools are fully accredited. All six of Southampton County’s, all three of the City of Franklin’s and all four of the Isle of Wight County Schools in our readership area have made the grade. Much work has gone into this accomplishment, especially for some schools that have been perennial underachievers.

To all the students, teachers, parents and administrators who have raised the bar of achievement in our local school, we salute you. We look forward to continued progress and excellence in all of our schools, whether it is one that has recently struggled or one that has consistently performed well.