Dear Charlottesville City Schools staff and families,

We’re a District on the Rise. 

In its annual report released this week, the Education Scorecard (a collaboration between Harvard University, Stanford University, and Dartmouth College) named Charlottesville City Schools as one of five divisions leading the way in reading skills recovery in Virginia. Tracking post-pandemic learning recovery, researchers note that we are making “unusual progress” compared to other similar divisions in our state. Bravo to our educators, families, and students. 

Reports like this help us see the big picture, but we know there is still so much work to be done. As superintendent, one of my key initiatives is to close the achievement gap for Black students. Called “What We Face, We Can Change,” this is about improving divisionwide systems for how we monitor progress, use data, and connect with students and families. I’m proud of the work that we’ve done so far (the Education Scorecard shows that our Black students are on an upward trajectory from 2022-2025*). And at the same time I know that real progress will take longer than a year or two. Thank you for committing to this work alongside me and the entire Charlottesville City Schools family. 

Truly the best news of the day is that tonight the incredible CHS Class of 2026 walks the graduation stage. Join me to honor them at 7pm at JPJ or watch the livestream on our YouTube or Facebook.

Sincerely,

Dr. G

*This links to an excerpt from the report. See the Education Scorecard’s full Charlottesville City Schools Fact Sheet.

Mr. John M. Kronstain has been selected to become the principal of Jackson-Via Elementary School starting July 1. Kronstain was previously the school’s Assistant Principal and has served as the school’s Interim Principal since March. 

Kronstain has been with Charlottesville City Schools since 2015. In addition to serving as Jackson-Via’s Interim Principal and Assistant Principal, he has worked as a school counselor at Walker Upper Elementary School, and as an assistant principal at Charlottesville Middle School (formerly Buford) and Tall Oaks Elementary School (formerly Johnson). See the full news release

CCS is currently collecting community feedback on our textbook finalists for the new AP African American Studies course at CHS. To review these textbooks, please stop by the textbook table in the Division Annex (across from the CHS baseball fields). If you have any questions about these textbooks or this process please contact Dr. Alicen Brown at browna3@charlottesvilleschools.org or by phone at 434-245-2826.

It is now time to re-register your student for the 2026-27 school year. You can update your bus requests, phone numbers, and more to get ready for next year.

The re-registration form is open in SchoolMint for all returning resident students and all approved non-resident students. You can find instructions here.

Got a new student or registering as a nonresident? Read detailed instructions for registering your new or nonresident student.

CCS is thrilled to share its available summer opportunities! These offerings are run by the schools, the City, or our program partners, and the activities are free, financially accessible, or offer scholarships.

As we begin winding down the 2025-26 school year and begin looking ahead to 2026-27, you can find all of the key dates in our division-wide academic calendar. For instructions on how to subscribe to this calendar as well as your school’s individual calendar, visit our calendar page.

During Teacher Appreciation Week, we honored some of the longest tenured teachers at each of our schools on our social media channels, and the appreciation for those teachers shown by the CCS community has been incredible. 

If you have not already, visit our social media pages, or click on the links below, and read the heartfelt comments and stories from people showing their appreciation for CCS teachers, including Lugo-McGinness math teacher Melvin Grady (pictured).

Here are the teachers that were honored. 

Cianna Washburg, an English Language Arts teacher at Charlottesville Middle School, has been selected as a member of the 2026 Virginia Humanities K-12 Educator Fellowship cohort.

As one of six fellows selected statewide, Washburg will spend nine months developing two learning experiences aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning while collaborating with Virginia Humanities staff and fellow cohort members.

All Virginia Humanities K-12 Educator Fellows receive a stipend of $4,250. Check out the CBS19 story

For the first time in an official capacity, the Charlottesville High School Urban Farming program is providing food that was grown in its garden for meals in the CHS school cafeteria. Check out the NBC29 story and learn more about the CHS Urban Farming Program.

On Arbor Day, Tall Oaks Elementary students joined the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards to dedicate one of the school’s namesake hardwoods as the City’s newest Landmark Tree. The Bur Oak, which is located behind Tall Oaks Elementary next to the playground, was planted around the same time that the school (then called Johnson Elementary) opened in 1954. Check out the NBC29 story.

During School-to-Work Signing Day at CATEC, 27 students across six programs were recognized for turning their internships, after-school jobs, and job interviews into careers with 20 local employers. Watch CBS 19’s coverage of School-to-Work Signing Day. 

Join us in congratulating the 16 (!!) Charlottesville High School students who have received invitations for the competitive Virginia Governor's School summer programs. This is the highest number of invitations to CHS students in recent memory, if ever!

Invitees are (pictured from top to bottom and left to right): 

Additionally, CHS student Javier Herrero was selected as an alternate in Spanish.

Congratulations to the Charlottesville High School boys track and field team for winning the Jefferson District championship. The CHS girls team also had a strong performance, finishing second in the district team standings.

Charlottesville City Schools was well-represented during the Village School’s 15th annual Girls Excelling in Math Tournament at Walker Upper Elementary School. CCS had 33 students from three of its schools competing in the tournament on nine different teams. The Always Right Triangles, one of the two teams from Charlottesville Middle School competing in the tournament, earned a second-place finish, while CMS students Jiyul Ahn (3rd place) and SJ Wiles (5th place) each placed in the top five individually.

Watch as Dr. Gurley surprises these educators and support staff at their schools, recognizing them for dedication, excellence, exemplary service, and positive impact:

👑 Liz Wood, Administrative Technician, CATEC

👑 Earthalyn Ashby, Social Emotional Support Counselor, Summit Elementary 

👑 Will Cooke, Choir Director, CHS 

👑 Deborah Johnson, Instructional Coach, Tall Oaks Elementary

Each winner earns $250 to spend on their school.

Want to see your favorite staff member get the royal treatment? Nominate them here: https://bit.ly/RoyalRecognitionCCS