School district in US
| Prince George County Public Schools |
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6410 Courts Dr.
Prince George, Virginia, 23875
United States |
| Coordinates | 37°13'20.662"N, 77°17'17.804"W |
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| Type | Public |
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| Motto | Lead, Innovate, Inspire |
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| Grades | Pre-K through 12 |
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| Superintendent | Douglas Lyle Jr. |
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| School board | 6 members |
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| Governing agency | Virginia Department of Education |
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| Accreditation(s) |
|
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| Schools | 8+1 technical school |
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| Budget | $6,255,916 |
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| NCES District ID | 5103090[2] |
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| Students | 6,106 (2020–2021)[3] |
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| Teachers | 441.75 (2020–2021)[3] |
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| Student–teacher ratio | 13.82 (2020–2021)[3] |
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| Website | www.pgs.k12.va.us |
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Prince George County Public Schools is the school district that provides schooling to the children in Prince George county, Virginia, United States. The school district also serves the military families who live on the U.S. Military base Fort Gregg-Adams.
History
2020
During the 2020–2021 school year, the Prince George County School Board had a meeting where they voted to close the William A. Walton Elementary School and build a replacement school due to mold inside the school. The new school will be called Middle Road Elementary School. The school opened during the 2022–2023 school year.[4][5]
August
On August 7, 2020, Prince George County Public Schools announced during the COVID-19 pandemic that they would opt into a hybrid instruction plan for the 2020–2021 school year. The county's parents and students were split on how they believed the schools should return to providing classes. In a district survey, 51% of parents preferred an all-virtual option while the remainder wanted to return in-person classes. The district then released their return to school plan that includes a hybrid education method. The plan states that half of the district can learn in school with social distancing and reduced class sizes in effect while the other half can learn virtually. The county's school district was the 3rd Tri-cities School district to opt to have in-person learning and virtual learning. In response to the survey, the School Board Chair, Chris Johnson, said that the teachers' survey responses were what stuck out to him the most when he was making his decision whether to allow in-person learning or just virtual learning. 78% of teachers in the survey wanted to return to teaching in-person rather than virtual.[6]
On August 25th, Prince George County public schools announced that they are having a school Chromebook shortage. The cause of the shortage is from the high amount of students that are doing virtual learning due to the pandemic.[7] It was also stated that a delivery of over 2,500 laptops would be delayed until December.[8]
2024
February
In February 2024, a 13 year old boy at J.E.J Moore Middle School, a middle school under the district, was arrested on school grounds for making threats to attack the school and harm students. The student was charged with 2 counts of threats to kill or injure people on school grounds.[9]
July
On July 31, former PGCPS Assistant superintendent William Barnes was charged with nine felonies, including aggravated sexual battery, indecent liberties with a minor and sexual assault by force or threat.[10][11][12]
August
In August, parents criticized the school district for its handling of the allegations against the former assistant superintendent.[13]
September
In September, state police investigation confirmed that the school board knew about sex abuse allegations against the former assistant superintendent William Barnes. The former superintendent Lisa Pennycuff provided Hanover School Board Chair with key dates about the timeline of the events.[14]
October
In October, a teacher at Harrison Elementary was arrested for possession of child pornography. It was not believed that they had any inappropriate pictures of students. The teacher was put on administrative leave pending the investigation results.[15][16]
In response to a nationwide shortage of bus drivers, parents blamed the district's transportation department for students having lower grades. The district's transportation department said they are short 200 bus drivers and that the issue is caused by bus drivers having to do back-to-back routes causing students to arrive late at school. Prince George County Public Schools has over 1,000 bus routes to cover.[17]
Fort Gregg-Adams
The school district includes students from a U.S. military base Fort Gregg-Adams. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the county has gained 20% more students than in 2010. The population grew to 43,010 people which makes Prince George the 5th most populated county.[18]
Critical Race Policy
Prince George County Public Schools voted to not implement the critical race Policy. The districts school board said that the policy looks like its trying to divide people of the country and the schools. Some board members spoke out against the policy stating that the color of a someones skin should not dictate any divide in their lifestyle.[19]
Transgender Policy
Before the start of the 2021-2022 PGCPS School Board voted on the policies. The bathroom policy caused a huge discussion between parents during the public comment period of the meeting and from the school board members. The board implemented a gender neutral bathroom policy as a way to welcome trans students into a comfortable facility.[20]
School board
Superintendent
Douglas Lyle Jr. who was an educator in the state of Virginia for over 30 years was appointed by the school board to become the next superintendent of Prince George County Public Schools.[21]
List of superintendents
| Name |
term
|
| Lisa Pennycuff
|
July 1, 2019-July 23, 2024(resigned)[22][23][24]
|
| Douglas Lyle Jr.
|
September 10, 2024–present
|
School board members
| Name
|
| Robert Eley III
|
| Michelle Crist
|
| Jill Andrews
|
| Sherry Taylor
|
| Christopher Johnson
|
[25]
Demographics
By race
As of the start of the 2024–2025 school year
Race percentage of students
| Race |
Total percentage of students
|
| White
|
47.1%
|
| Black
|
29.6%
|
| Hispanic
|
13.9%
|
| Asian
|
1.2%
|
| Other
|
8.3%
|
[26]
By gender
As of the start of the 2024–2025 school year
Gender percentage of students
| Gender |
Total percentage of students
|
| Male
|
51%
|
| Female
|
49%
|
[26]
Other info
- The Student to teacher ratio is: 15:1
- Average percentage of certified teachers: 99.8%
- Average percentage of teachers with over 3 years of experience: 89.1%
- The total amount of full time councilors that work for the district: 8[26]
Academic success
Averages
As of the end of the 2023–2024 school year
Test score average for students (overall of all grades and subjects)
| Below average |
Average |
Above average
|
| 29%
|
71%
|
<1%
|
[27]
Graduation ranking
Rankings are as of the start of the 2024–2025 school year
District rankings
| Ranking factors |
National rank |
State rank
|
| College Readiness Index Rank
|
#9,889
|
#208
|
| College Curriculum Breadth Index Rank
|
#10,124 (tie)
|
#226
|
| State Assessment Proficiency Rank
|
#8,478
|
#154
|
| State Assessment Performance Rank
|
#9,466
|
#172
|
| Graduation Rate Rank
|
#11,126 (tie)
|
#172 (tie)
|
[28]
Test scores
As of the end of the 2023–2024 school year
Test score proficiency (subject)
| School |
Math (percentage) |
English (percentage)
|
| Elementary
|
73%
|
78%
|
| Middle
|
61%
|
71%
|
| High
|
79%
|
89%
|
[26]
Financials
Overall the district spends an average of $11,127 per student per year. The district's total revenue is $72,661,000.[26]
Budget
The 2024–2025 school year's general budget is $6,255,916 and that total is 7.13% over the given FY2024 adopted budget of $87,780,829.[29]
Funding
As of the start of the 2024–2025 school year
Funding
| From |
Amount (percentage of budget)
|
| State
|
60.8%
|
| Local
|
26.5%
|
| Federal
|
12.7%
|
[26]
Partnerships
The school district partners with many colleges including the following:
Schools
Elementary schools
- LL Beazly Elementary
- North Elementary
- South Elementary
- Middle road Elementary
- Harrison Elementary[30]
Middle schools
- J.E.J. Moore Middle School[30]
High schools
Optional high schools
- Rowanty Technical Center[30]
Education centers
- Prince George Education Center[30]
Elementary schools
- William A. Walton Elementary School[4]
See also
References
