Hanover County Quick Facts

Education

Academic Excellence

• Preliminary reports from the Virginia Department of Education indicate that 100% of Hanover schools earned full accreditation based on the 2011 Virginia Standards of Learning assessments.
• Fifteen of 23 schools (65%) made AYP as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
• The average elementary student-to-classroom teacher ratio is 21.5:1.
• The rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program is in place in all four high schools.
• Hanover high schools are among only 2 percent of American high schools which offer AP (Advanced Placement), IB (International Baccalaureate) and dual enrollment options to their students.
• Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs are in place in our high schools.
• Twenty-nine (29) world languages are native to Hanover’s growing number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students.
• 99.6% of Core Academic classes are taught by teachers meeting the federal definition of Highly Qualified.
• A total of 73 Hanover teachers have earned National Board Certification since the inception of the program.
• A Graduate Warranty Program assures that students are prepared for post-secondary education or entry-level employment.

Awards/Accomplishments

• Hanover County Public Schools is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) and AdvancED.
• Hanover schools have won ten National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence awards.
• In 2011, seven (7) Hanover schools received the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence; six (6) Hanover schools received the Board of Education Competence to Excellence Award; and three (3) Hanover schools received the Board of Education Excellence Award.
Atlee and Hanover high schools were recognized by Newsweek magazine in their list of the top 1,500 public high schools in the nation based on the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests compared to the number of graduating seniors.
• Three Hanover schools have been named Virginia Distinguished Title I Schools (Elmont Elementary (2005, 2009, 2010), Beaverdam Elementary (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010), and Mechanicsville Elementary (2010).
• Two Hanover schools (Liberty Middle and Patrick Henry High) were identified as demonstration sites for statewide Content Literacy Continuum-Strategic Instruction Model grants.
• With grant support from Hanover Arc and the Commonwealth of Virginia, HCPS launched an after-school program pairing disabled students with non-disabled peers.
• The Hanover All-County Band, composed of the marching bands from all Hanover high schools, participated in the Orange Bowl Parade in Miami in 1999, the Target Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago in November 2002, and in the last two gubernatorial inaugurations. The Atlee High band marched in the New Year’s Day Parade in London in 2004 and 2008.
• Hanover County was named one of the Top 100 Communities in America for Music Education.
• Forbes magazine ranked HCPS among the top 50 school districts in the nation comparing student achievement vs. cost per pupil.
• Hanover received the SchoolMatch “What Parents Want” designation for six consecutive years. This recognition is reserved for those school districts in the Nation that demonstrate high levels of student achievement and maintain emphasis on small class size.
• Hanover has produced two World Champion Odyssey of the Mind teams: Patrick Henry High School (1994) and Rural Point Elementary School (2002).
• Hanover was the first Virginia school district to receive the U. S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award for Continuing Excellence.
• Hanover ranks first among Virginia’s 132 school systems for the percentage of its budget invested toward classroom instruction.

Community Commitment

• School projects received a nearly 80% approval from Hanover voters in the 2005 Referendum, the highest margin of any referendum question on ballots in Virginia.
• The school district partners daily with the Hanover Sheriff’s Office, Hanover Fire/EMS and other agencies to assure the safety of students and staff.
• The Hanover Education Foundation manages more than $1,000,000 in gifts, legacies and endowed funds to support scholarships, professional development opportunities, and creative classroom initiatives.
• Two hundred eighty-three (283) businesses participate in the Partners-in-Education program.
• American City Business Journals ranked Hanover County among the top 50 localities in the United States for quality of life.
• Money magazine named Mechanicsville one of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in terms of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do, and a sense of community.
• America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth named Hanover one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People.