CHESAPEAKE, Va — Tuesday was the first day back to school for Chesapeake students.
This week, the school district had much to celebrate, including the start of a new year and the academic achievements of last school year.
Watch: SOL results are in. How did Virginia students score in the 2023-24 school year?
Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton told News 3 that he couldn't be prouder of his students.
"All of our schools met the English, Reading and Math benchmarks," explained Dr. Cotton.
Parents like Ternisha Young said she was pleased to see these children be part of that statistic.
"I think that is awesome because you want to ensure your child is learning," explained Young. "I know when I went to school you needed to pass those exams to graduate."
Watch: Youngkin seeks cell phone-free education in Virginia public school classes
According to the scores, Chesapeake ranked higher than the state average in multiple categories including reading, writing, and math.
It's a major accomplishment that Dr. Cotton credits in part to great teachers.
"You want to have the best and the brightest teachers working with our students each day and that equates to high student success that goes beyond just test scores," said Dr. Cotton.
Watch: Virginia 2023 SOL test scores show continued impact of pandemic learning loss
For Greenbrier Middle School student, Josh Young, he says he's not only grown academically but gained a lot of confidence.
"It's mostly because of my teachers because they try to bring me out more and let me talk more," explained Young.
Currently, there is still a teacher shortage in Chesapeake like other school districts, but it's lower than in previous years.
Around 40 elementary and secondary positions are still open. Dr. Cotton says he hopes to change that.
"About two years ago we did a 10% salary increase for our teachers and we've continued to be competitive with our teacher pay," said Dr. Cotton.
To find out if you're a good fit for Chesapeake Schools, click the link, here.
