Rockbridge County is working to reduce chronic absenteeism by three to seven percentage points across all six of its schools. The division invested its Community Schools grant in two positions. A Family Engagement Coordinator has spent over a year providing resources, food, and connection to families across the county. An Attendance Clerk checks in with students and families when they are absent to understand what they need and provide a path back before missing days become a pattern. The division describes the two positions as its strongest investments.

In-school clinic access now brings physical and mental health services into the buildings where students already are. Food pantries operate in every school across the county, alongside clothing closets and school supply programs. The division hosts campfire nights, tailgates, and culture nights throughout its schools, drawing 432 attendees in the first quarter to events designed to build the kind of connection between families and schools.

Student Support Branch: Basic Needs

Students cannot fully engage in learning when their basic needs are unmet. Community Schools address these barriers by working with local businesses, organizations, social services, and health agencies to ensure students have access to essential resources. Supports in this area may include food, clothing, school supplies, and, in some cases, on-site health services. By meeting these foundational needs, schools help ensure students are ready to learn each day.

Rockbridge County

Grayson County

Grayson County’s implementation of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) across its six schools gave the division a clear structure for integrating the Community Schools work. Rather than building a separate program, the division mapped Community Schools onto the teams, meeting structures, and data practices already in place. This foundation ensures students have consistent support

Loudoun County

Loudoun County Schools realized that many families at Guilford Elementary and Sully Elementary did not have an established healthcare provider, a wellness gap with real implications for how prepared students were for school. As part of their Community Schools work, the division launched a mobile health clinic at school sites to provide families with physicals,