By Heather Michon
With improved test scores and strong graduation rates, all four Fluvanna County public schools have retained their accreditation, but officials said chronic absenteeism remains a concern.
Assistant Superintendent Gemma Soares presented the division’s latest academic performance and accreditation data to the School Board on Oct. 14.
Fluvanna County High School earned the state’s distinguished performance designation, while Central Elementary, Carysbrook Elementary, and Fluvanna Middle School met state performance standards.
All four schools remain fully accredited, continuing a streak of approximately 14 years.
The division’s strongest result was the Class of 2026 graduation rate of 98.6%. This compares with a statewide average of 93.5%. About 62% of Fluvanna graduates earned advanced diplomas, compared with 50% statewide.
Division-wide, testing scores generally held steady or improved. The high school saw higher scores in math, science, and history; reading scores held steady, and writing scores declined slightly.
Despite these achievements, chronic absenteeism remains a challenge.
Students who miss at least 10% of the school year, or about 17 or more days, are considered chronically absent.
The division-wide chronic absenteeism rate was 23.5% in the 2025-26 school year, down 8.5% from the previous year.
“We are trending down, slow and steady,” Soares said. “Overall, though, we are still above the state average of 12.9%.”
There was significant variance between schools. For example, Carysbrook Elementary’s rate dropped from 19.16% in 2024-25 to 6.75% in 2025-26, while Central Elementary’s rate rose from 11.25% to 14.66% over the same period.
Board members questioned whether differences in how schools and divisions record absences make the figures difficult to compare.
“I have a hard time processing a number that tells me that our kids are not in our buildings twice as much as the average division in the state,” said Palmyra representative James Kelley.
Under state guidelines, principals can use discretionary leave codes for certain students who are absent from their regular classrooms but remain “academically engaged.” Those days do not count toward chronic absenteeism.
Officials said Fluvanna historically took a conservative approach to those codes and has been working to standardize attendance reporting. Two part-time attendance positions have also been added.
