Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced the 2026 School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF) results and a new $26.7 million grant funding opportunity for schools serving the state's highest-need students, released two months earlier than the previous year's announcement.
The results cover performance and progress of more than 1,800 elementary, middle, and high schools across Virginia during the 2025-26 school year. The framework measures academic performance and growth, student readiness and attendance, and—for high schools—preparation for employment, enrollment in postsecondary institutions, and military enlistment.
Nearly all Virginia schools showed improvement. Almost 99 percent of schools achieved full accreditation, schools increased their overall SPSF scores by roughly 5 points on average, and 38 percent of schools improved their overall performance category rating. Three of every four schools saw drops in chronic absenteeism.
Among Title I schools—which serve students in low-income households—16 of 49 eligible schools exited Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) status, the strictest level of federal monitoring, marking the highest proportion ever to exit that status in a single year.
The Department of Education is opening the $26.7 million School Improvement Grant application cycle, which will distribute federal school improvement funds to schools and students in greatest need. The state will also launch a new, state-funded pilot improvement network for schools identified for Targeted Support and Improvement status.
The Spanberger administration adopted a new method of measuring student growth that rewards schools for helping any student grow significantly, regardless of their starting point, following recommendations made by the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission in December 2025.