Facts at Your Fingertips

Superintendent's Message

I am proud of the combined efforts of everyone in the division -- School Board members, teachers, administrators, and support staff -- to assure excellence and opportunity for all of our students. It is through their efforts that we have continued to achieve high academic standards.

Our strength as a school division arises from teamwork and collaboration. All of the stakeholders in our educational community are dedicated to providing high quality education for students. Helping each child succeed is our most important job.

With the support of the local community, and especially the help of our dedicated parents and volunteers, the school division staff members look forward to the challenge of making a positive difference in the lives of our children.

Division Highlights

WJCC schools continue to earn national recognition. Expansion Management Magazine, has named our school division among the top five divisions in Virginia, and in the top 15% nationwide. It awarded the Gold Medal to WJCC schools, the highest of five rankings the magazine gives.

School Match, the nation’s largest school selection consulting firm awarded WJCC schools the WHAT PARENTS WANT AWARD. Only 15% of the school systems across America were designated for this special honor.

For the fifth year in a row, the WJCC School Division has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. It is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting. The Association of School Business Officials International also awarded the division a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for the WJCCPS Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the third consecutive year.

General Profile

The WJCC School Division includes seven elementary schools, all of which have full-day kindergarten, three middle schools, and two high schools. All schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The mission of WJCC Schools is to achieve excellence in education through partnership with home and community, so that each student becomes a lifelong learner, an independent thinker, and a responsible citizen.

The Williamsburg-James City County area is rich in heritage. The area features a number of historic attractions and institutions of higher education. Cooperation between the schools and community include Community Partnership for Excellence in Education, a Gold Card program to support student achievement, teacher recruitment incentives, mentorship programs, and school-business partnership commitments. Parental involvement is also prominent in WJCC Schools. Parent awareness and involvement is encouraged through parent/student handbooks, Parent-Teacher Associations at each school, quarterly newsletters, parental involvement on a variety of policy-making committees, as well as parent-teacher conferences.

Test Score Information

Visit our Test Result page.

WJCC Website

Detailed information about our school division and each of our schools is available at: www.wjcc.k12.va.us Your comments are welcome. Contact Hoyt Davenport at 757-603-6531

Enrollment

For enrollment information and reports on enrollment, visit our Finance Department's page.

School Hours

The hours for a regular student day are as follows:

• Elementary School (Grades K-5) 9:10 am - 3:40 pm
  
• Middle School (Grades 6-8) 7:40 am - 2:40 pm
  
• High School (Grades 9-12) 7:40 am - 2:40 pm
  

WJCC Personnel

WJCC Schools employs over 800 professional staff and about 600 support staff. Over 60 cafeteria staff members serve 5,000 meals per day. Our bus drivers drove over 2 million miles last year without serious injuries to students. Fifty-one custodians and 41 part-time employees maintained 1,318,162 sq. ft. of space in our school and office buildings.

Entrance Requirements

Students are eligible to attend WJCC Schools if they have reached their fifth birthday on or before September 30 of the school year; they have not passed their 20th birthday on or before August 1 of the school year; they have not been granted a high school diploma; and their parents or guardians reside in Williamsburg or James City County.

Parents of students entering WJCC Schools for the first time must present the following information to the school that their student(s) will attend:

• Proof of residency (a utility bill, a copy of a lease, etc.), and street address or route number of pupil’s residence
  Certified copy of the birth certificate. Birth certificates for children born in Virginia may be obtained by request/application from:
  Office of Vital Records, Virginia State Health Department, PO Box 1000, Richmond, Virginia, or in person at The Shops at Willow Lawn Mall, 1610 Willow Lawn Drive, Suite 275, Richmond, Virginia.
• Federal social security card
  
• Written evidence of adequate immunizations as required in Code of Virginia and in accordance with the Regulations of the State Board of Health
  
• Written proof of a 2nd measles immunization
  
• Written evidence of a Hepatitis B vaccine, if student was born on or after January 1, 1994
  
• Written evidence of a physical exam performed no earlier than 12 months prior to enrollment (elementary schools only, unless upper grades are coming from a private school)
  

School Zones

If unsure of what your school zone is, please call Transportation at 757-565-0808, supply your current street address, and we will be happy to provide that information.

Transportation

Bus transportation is provided to all students. The Pupil Transportation Department, made up of 151 full-time and part-time professionals, has the primary mission to provide safe, dependable, and economical transportation for 8,553 students to and from school daily. This significant task requires a fleet of 138 well-maintained school buses covering over 2 million miles each year. In addition, transportation is provided for after-school activities, sports, field trips, special needs programs, and summer school. The Transportation Department also manages the School Division’s Emergency Response Plan in conjunction with City, County, and FEMA officials.

For general transportation information, please call 757-565-0808.

Child Nutrition and Fees

Our schools serve well-balanced, nutritious meals. Free and reduced-price meals are available to elementary, middle, and high school students unable to pay the full price. For more information regarding Lunch Menus and our Lunch Program, click HERE.

About Our Programs

The School Board has adopted Standards of Learning and Grade Level Objectives which coincide with the new State Standards for Accreditation. For detailed curriculum information, please call the Office of Academic Services at 757-253-6781.

Elementary

Each elementary school is staffed with full-time art, music, media, and physical education teachers, two Reading Recovery teachers, a reading specialist, and a guidance counselor. Teacher Assistants are present in each kindergarten classroom and at each grade level. All Kindergarten classes are full-day.

Middle School

Our middle schools are designed to meet the unique needs of young adolescents. The staff is organized into core teams of two to four teachers to provide instruction in English, math, reading, science, and social studies. One important middle school goal is to help students explore areas of learning beyond the usual academic subjects through related arts (i.e., art, computer lab, music, foreign languages). To obtain a copy of the Middle School Program of Studies, please call your child’s school or the Division Guidance Office at (757) 603-6493

High School

By following a 4x4 block schedule, WJCC high school students may choose a full sequence of academic and advanced placement courses. Students may also pursue vocational and technical courses in the following areas: Technology Education; Health Occupations; Licensed Practical Nursing; Early Childhood Education; Business and Information Technology; Marketing Education; Cooperative Technical Education.

High school students may earn 32 credits in four years. There are 20 Advanced Placement courses, mentorships, and concurrent courses available. A successful dropout prevention program is in its second decade of operation. Approximately 89% of Jamestown High School and 83% of Lafayette High School graduates enroll immediately in post-secondary education programs. Call the Superintendent’s Office at 757-603-6481 or your child’s school for a copy of the High School Program of Studies.

Special Programs

Preschool

The Bright Beginnings program serves at-risk children between three and five years old in a classroom-based program. There is a very strong parental involvement component which includes monthly home visits, parent meetings and workshops, and parents as classroom volunteers. Children are identified for the Bright Beginnings program by the presence of specific risk factors known to impact early school success. One of the primary goals of the program is to provide early intervention, alleviating the need for more costly special education services later. For more information, please call 757-565-9323

Preschool children ages two to five with disabilities are served primarily through the Norge Early Education and Development (NEED) program. The NEED Center provides both school-based and home-based services, including services for those preschoolers who are medically fragile or otherwise unable to receive services outside the home. Please call 757-565-9323 for more information.

Gifted and Talented

Each school has a gifted and talented resource teacher. The strengths, talents, and sustained interests of students are nurtured by providing a variety of program options. Differentiation strategies to challenge high ability learners within the classroom, collaboration among classroom and resource teachers to extend classroom learning, and student participation in resource room activities such as enrichment clusters, seminars, and independent studies, provides benefits for both students and classroom teachers.

Minority Achievement

The Minority Achievement Program provides learning opportunities and enrichment programs to students beyond the traditional hours of the school day. These activities include after-school tutoring programs, evening and weekend field experiences, cultural excursions, and summer programs. In addition to these student activities, the program has undertaken an increasingly active role in divisionwide staff development and parent involvement efforts in recent years. Each school has a minority achievement leader.