Your neighborhood school is your first option to consider. The school your district assigns your child to is generally determined by where you live. Your neighborhood school offers the advantage of proximity to your home, and a community of parents and students who reside near the school. You'll want to evaluate the school to make sure the academic program, size of the school and quality of education meet your child's needs before choosing this option.

School Choice

School choice is very limited in Virginia. The state has no statewide program for interdistrict school choice. The issue has come up often in the state legislature but has been struck down every time.

Although Virginia has no public voucher program, a private scholarship program called Children First Virginia provides vouchers so children from low-income families may attend a school of their choice.

Virginia only allows intradistrict school choice if your school has been classified as Title 1 “In Need of Improvement” under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The No Child Left Behind Law

Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, you may request to have your child transferred to another school in the same district if your child’s current school is classified as “in need of improvement.” If your child transfers, the district will pay for transportation costs up to a certain cap. However, not all requests can be granted because other schools in the district may not have the capacity to accept more students.

If none of your district’s schools have the capacity to accept transfers, the law requires the district to try to form agreements with other districts to allow for transfers.

If your district is unable to immediately provide a transfer, if your transfer request is denied, or if you’d rather not transfer your child, you can still inquire at your school about tutoring, after-school programs, summer school and other programs to help improve your child’s performance. Districts are required to provide these supplemental education services to your child if he attends a school that is “in need of improvement.” For more information on the No Child Left Behind Act, see What No Child Left Behind Means for Your Child.

Charter Schools

Virginia law is very restrictive towards charter schools. Local school boards choose whether or not to grant charters. State law limits the number of charter schools, heavily influences the curriculum, and requires schools to employ state-certified teachers.

The number of charter schools is limited. By law, the number of charter schools in each district must not exceed 10 percent of the number of public schools, or two charter schools, whichever is greater. There are only five charter schools in Virginia, mostly serving underprivileged students.

For more information on charter schools in Virginia, see Charter Schools Offer an Array of Choices.

Magnet Schools

Although Virginia offers few charter schools, it does offer a broad array of magnet schools. Virginia has 178 magnet schools, ranking fourth in the United States for its large number of magnet programs.

Magnet schools, which generally have a specially focused curriculum, draw together students from a variety of racial, economic and geographic backgrounds. They may exist as separate schools or a public school may have a magnet program within the school. Although they are public schools, they often do not have room to accept all applicants. If there are more applicants than available spaces, spaces are allocated either selectively or randomly, depending on the district. Contact your district to explore your magnet school options.

Learn more about Virginia's magnet schools in the article School Choice Options in Virginia: Focus on Magnet Schools.

Private Schools

Virginia has around 250 private schools. Families of students pay tuition or, in some cases, students receive scholarships to attend private schools. The teachers, principal, board of directors, and sometimes parents and students decide upon the curriculum, teaching methodology, and enrollment requirements. For more information on private schools see Private vs. Public Schools: What’s the Difference? and Frequently Asked Questions About Private Schools.

Homeschooling

You may also choose to educate your child at home. Virginia’s homeschooling law is stricter than the law in many other states. Parents must prove they are capable of providing an adequate education (an education similar to the education the student would receive in public school) or must have a qualified educator teach the student. The student must score in an above average range on a battery of achievement tests in order to continue homeschooling. If she falls below this level, a year of remediation will be required. If the student does not make satisfactory progress in this year, the parents will have to make new educational arrangements.

The immunization requirement for children who attend public school is the same as the requirement for homeschoolers.

Get more information on homeschooling in Virginia from the Home Education Association of Virginia and the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers.

Also, see the article Homeschooling: Key Facts and Resources

Additional Resources

More from GreatSchools.net:
Charter Schools Offer an Array of Choices
School Choice Options in Virginia: Focus on Magnet Schools

November 2005