Cohort 1 📍 Region 5

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.