Fauquier County Public Schools (FCPS) is pleased to announce that P.B. Smith Elementary has been recognized for the third year in a row by the Virginia Board of Education as one of 92 schools statewide to receive the 2024-2025 Highest Achievement Award. This honor acknowledges the school’s exceptional performance during the 2023-2024 academic year.

The Virginia Board of Education established the Highest Achievement Award to recognize schools that demonstrate high levels of success across all school quality indicators. P.B. Smith Elementary achieved this prestigious award by excelling in the following areas:

• Performance Level One in reading, mathematics, and science, based on the student pass rates for both the “all students” group and each student group within the school.
• Compliance with strict performance standards, where schools with two student groups maintained a difference of no more than five percentage points between the performance of each group and the “all students” group. For schools with three or more student groups, the difference could not exceed ten percentage points.
• Achieving Level One performance in key indicators such as Chronic Absenteeism, Graduation and Completion Index (GCI), and Dropout Rate.

“Fauquier County Public Schools is focused on building meaningful relationships with students, staff, and the community, and this recognition reflects that commitment,” said Dr. Meaghan Brill, FCPS Deputy Superintendent. “It’s a shared effort, and when everyone is engaged, we create an environment where success is the natural outcome.”

“We could not achieve this award without the support of our parents and community,” added Linda Smith, Principal of P.B. Smith Elementary School. “I couldn’t be prouder of our students and staff for working so hard. The staff offers strength and support to each other.  P.B. Smith is a positive, caring, respectful, and supportive place to learn.”

For more information about the Virginia Board of Education Exemplar School Recognition Program, visit the Virginia Department of Education website.