WASHINGTON — Students in the small Falls Church City Schools system are passing Virginia’s Standards of Learning tests at a higher rate than students in other Northern Virginia school systems, according to 2015 test data released Tuesday.
Falls Church has only five schools, with a total of about 2,500 students, many of whom come from backgrounds that may help them succeed. The Census Bureau estimates 74.4 percent of adults 25 and over living in the city have at least a bachelor’s degree.
In contrast, the Census Bureau estimates just 26 percent of adults over age 25 have bachelor’s degrees in Manassas Park, which Virginia Department of Education data show have some of the lowest pass rates in Northern Virginia.
The Virginia Department of Education finds that, while minority students are making gains in passing the SOLs — which play a role in graduation requirements — there is still a significant achievement gap in the commonwealth between white students and black and Hispanic students.
Overall, West Point Public Schools are at or near the top of the state rankings of pass rates in all categories. The small school division about 45 minutes east of Richmond is one of the few in Virginia run by a town rather than a city or county. Ninety-four percent of its students passed the reading tests last year.
In addition to Falls Church, Loudoun and Arlington counties also rank in the top 10 for pass rates on reading SOLs in the 2014-15 school year.
| All Students, Highest English: Reading Scores | |||
| State Rank/School System | 2012-2013 Pass Rate | 2013-2014 Pass Rate | 2014-2015 Pass Rate |
| #2 Falls Church City | 91 | 91 | 92 |
| #7 Loudoun County | 83 | 84 | 87 |
| #9 Arlington County | 80 | 82 | 86 |
| #13 Fairfax County | 82 | 81 | 85 |
| #T22 Stafford County | 80 | 78 | 83 |
Prince William County is lower, but still above the state average, with an 81 percent pass rate. Petersburg ranks lowest in the state (132nd) with an improved 58 percent pass rate. Richmond and Martinsville are second- and third-to-last.
| All Students, Lowest English: Reading Scores | |||
| State Rank/School System | 2012-2013 Pass Rate | 2013-2014 Pass Rate | 2014-2015 Pass Rate |
| #T76 Fredericksburg City | 72 | 69 | 76 |
| #T95 Manassas City | 63 | 66 | 72 |
| #T105 Alexandria City | 67 | 66 | 71 |
| #T105 Manassas Park City | 72 | 65 | 71 |
Among economically disadvantaged students, West Point also leads the way on reading tests with a 91 percent pass rate, followed by Wise and Scott counties at 83 and 80 percent respectively.
Seventy-one percent of economically disadvantaged students in Orange County passed the reading tests, as did 70 percent in Prince William and Stafford, 69 percent in Arlington and Falls Church, and 68 percent in Fairfax County.
Alexandria had the lowest pass rate for economically disadvantaged students of any Northern Virginia jurisdictions at 59 percent. Only 15 school systems in the state had lower rates — Lexington had the lowest pass rate for economically disadvantaged students at just 42 percent, up from 39 percent last year.
Math
Falls Church also leads the way on math pass rates in Northern Virginia, behind West Point and Wise. Alexandria is ranked lower than any other Northern Virginia school division.
Alexandria still has much higher pass rates than the lowest ranked systems in the state. Buena Vista, Petersburg, Brunswick County and Martinsville each saw less than 60 percent of students pass math SOLs.
| All Students, Highest Math Scores | |||
| State Rank/School System | 2012-2013 Pass Rate | 2013-2014 Pass Rate | 2014-2015 Pass Rate |
| #3 Falls Church City | 87 | 90 | 90 |
| #T10 Arlington County | 81 | 83 | 87 |
| #T18 Loudoun County | 79 | 81 | 85 |
| #T24 Stafford County | 79 | 80 | 84 |
| #T28 Fairfax County | 79 | 81 | 83 |
| #T32 Culpeper County | 70 | 75 | 82 |
| All Students, Lowest Math Scores | |||
| State Rank/School System | 2012-2013 Pass Rate | 2013-2014 Pass Rate | 2014-2015 Pass Rate |
| #T60 Manassas City | 63 | 71 | 78 |
| #T78 Manassas Park City | 67 | 72 | 76 |
| #T78 Orange County | 70 | 72 | 76 |
| #T88 Fredericksburg City | 66 | 72 | 75 |
| #117 Alexandria City | 63 | 64 | 69 |
In math, Northern Virginia students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds had the highest pass rate in Arlington, at 76 percent, followed by a 74 percent pass rate in Stafford County and 73 percent in Manassas City Schools.
In science, Falls Church City schools are again the top in Northern Virginia with a 90 percent pass rate (tied for fifth statewide), followed closely by Loudoun County with a 89 percent pass rate (seventh).
In history and social sciences, Falls Church, Loudoun and Fairfax counties all had pass rates of 90 percent or higher this year.
Prince William, Stafford, Arlington and Fauquier counties were just a few percentage points back. Alexandria had the lowest pass rate in Northern Virginia in history and social studies at 77 percent.
Statewide, about four out of five tests administered this year earned a passing score.
