Highlights and Initiatives

Roanoke’s on-time graduation rate is 87%.

Both high schools are modern with state-of-the art facilities.

May 2017, Forest Park Academy exceeded 1,000 graduates.  It is a specialized school that allows high school students to graduate, no matter the challenges.

Fairview Elementary won the Les Paul Legacy Classroom Project Award.  This national award was made possible thanks to the Les Paul Foundation and VH1 Save the Music Foundation.

Jeff Midkiff of Patrick Henry High School received the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award in June 2017 at Yale University.

Anne Travers of Virginia Heights Elementary received the 2017 Special Education Teacher Award from the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET).
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Crystal Spring Elementary was recognized as a national 2015 Blue Ribbon School.  Crystal Spring received the 2016 Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) Governor's Award for Educational Excellence.

Fishburn Park Elementary, Grandin Court Elementary, and Highland Park Elementary each received the 2016 Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) Board of Education Distinguished Achievement Award.

The STAR Council, a group of Patrick Henry and William Fleming students, received the American Red Cross Education Hero Award for helping our homeless students.

Patrick Henry High School Boys Lacrosse Team won the Group 5A State Championship in June 2017.

The William Fleming Boys Indoor Track Team won the 4A State Championship in Winter of 2017.  The is the first State Title in Track and Field for William Fleming in 32 years. 

Patrick Henry High School Girls Swim Team has won the Group 5A State Championship for the last two years.

Reid Tenzer, a sophomore at Patrick Henry High School and the Roanoke Valley Governor's School, was one of two Grand Award winners at the Regional Science.  She competed at the International Science Fair in Los Angeles.

Cian St. Clair, Zach Harvey, and Austin Lubosch of ROTEC won Gold in Welding Fabrication at the Skills USA State Competition.  They competed nationally in Louisville, Kentucky in June 2017.



​Eighth, ninth, and tenth graders receive laptops for school and home use

The Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology (RVGS) is a specialized regional center for the advanced study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  RVGS serves 269 students from 7 localities.  Roanoke City has 128 slots available.

The Community College Access Program (CCAP) allows graduating seniors to attend Virginia Western Community College tuition-free for two years. To learn more about the program, click here

Students from Patrick Henry and William Fleming High School can take dual enrollment classes at Virginia Western Community College at no cost to them.

Students participate in 42 different sports programs at the middle and high school levels.

RCPS offers 27 Advanced Placement (AP) courses for high school students.  Additional AP courses are offered through Virtual Virginia.

All students have access to musical instruments, thanks to a partnership with VH1 Save the Music Foundation.  Middle and high schools have string orchestras, bands, and choral programs.

Working in Support of Education (W!se) recognized Patrick Henry and William Fleming High Schools as two of the 100 Best W!SE High Schools teaching Personal Finance in the country.

High school students from Patrick Henry and William Fleming can take a variety of Career and Technical Education classes.  During 2016-2017, a record number of 2,050 industry certifications were awarded.

The NAMM Foundation has named RCPS one of the best communities for music education five years in a row.

RCPS has Pre-AP/Honors Programs at all five middle schools.

Each summer, we offer a six week summer enrichment program for rising kindergarten through rising 8th graders. The program is free for RCPS students.

Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) received the 2015 Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award from Yale University for its partnership with the Roanoke Symphony.

Elementary Schools:  17

Middle Schools:  5

High Schools:  2

Programs:  4 (Forest Park Academy, Governor’s School for Science and Technology, Roanoke Technical Education Center (ROTEC) and Noel Taylor Academy).

Need to know what school your child will attend?  View Attendance Zones here. To see a virtual tour of any of our schools, click here. 

Number of students (Pre-School – Grade 12):  13,686

Total Staff: 2,218

Special Education Students:  2,155

English Language Learners:  1,723

Gifted Students:  959

Student Ethnic Distribution

African American:  44.48%

Caucasian:  37.17%

Hispanic and other:  18.35%