3-story building design approved for Quioccasin Middle; Henrico School Board addresses drop in fully accredited schools
Big news from us — we just launched our new website this week! We also were awarded the national Press Forward grant, which helps local newsrooms strengthen coverage on underreported issues.
Quioccasin Middle School will be getting a new building in 2026, which will be three stories and include a new innovation lab and courtyard.
Henrico School Board members addressed school accreditation ratings released last month and expressed worries about the state’s new “accountability system.”
Quioccasin’s new building
The new Quioccasin Middle School building, set to open in the summer of 2027, will be three stories and feature an innovation lab with outdoor learning spaces, an outdoor courtyard, and more new amenities.
Henrico School Board members approved the schematic design for the rebuild of Quioccasin Middle Oct. 10, with the total project estimated to cost $89 million using funds from the county's 2022 bond referendum. The project’s design firm, Moseley Architects, predicts that construction on the new building will start in the late summer of 2025 and take about two years.
The new school building will be constructed on the existing athletic fields behind the track field. Once the current building is demolished in the fall of 2027, a new baseball field, softball field, and four tennis courts – all with stadium lights – along with a multi-purpose field will be constructed in its place.
HCPS 'honing in' on middle schools
At an Oct. 10 meeting, Henrico School Board members addressed the drop in the number of Henrico’s fully accredited schools and expressed concerns about the state’s new accreditation system that will be implemented next year.
Fourteen Henrico schools were designated as “accredited with conditions” by the Virginia Department of Education for the 2024-2025 year, meaning that these schools did not meet state standards in at least one “school quality indicator.” When including HCPS’ An Achievable Dream Middle & High School, 22% of Henrico schools were not fully accredited this year, compared to 14% of Virginia schools.
While the majority of HCPS’ elementary and high schools were fully accredited, only six of the district’s 13 middle schools received full accreditation this year. The middle school numbers are “staggering,” said board member Madison Irving (Three Chopt District), but he said they likely point to a larger systemic issue…
Our new website!!
The Henrico Citizen has launched a new, refreshed version of its website, in an effort to provide a more clear and logical way for you to find the news you are seeking. Our new site is better organized and allows you to more easily find and read articles related to your particular topics of interest.
Our menu option at the top of the site provides links to our most popular sections, and at the top of each article, you’ll see red “tags,” or keywords, that help describe what the article is about. Click on any of those tags to view other articles related to the same topic.
Baseball for students with disabilities
Students, teachers, and volunteers from across Henrico County celebrated Challenger Day this week at the Tuckahoe Park Baseball Complex.
"Challenger Day, which began as an offshoot of the Challenger Division of Little League Baseball in 2012, introduces the fundamentals of baseball and softball to students with physical and cognitive disabilities from more than 30 classrooms for a fun, inviting and inclusive day," a statement from Henrico Schools explained. "Volunteers from HCPS and various partnering businesses and organizations assisted in making the day a hit for these students, along with their teachers and families."
Photo of the Week
Hazel’s reminder to sleep more, stress less!
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and more news from us —
Henrico Citizen earns national Press Forward Grant
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