A baseline of academic performance, attendance, enrollment and funding as the 2026–27 school year begins

Using the latest official information from the Virginia Department of Education and Manassas City Public Schools, the Manassas Journal has created a baseline for following the school division.

The figures cover academic performance, attendance, enrollment and funding. The Journal will update them as new, comparable information becomes available.

2-Minute Brief

Topic: The latest available performance information for Manassas City Public Schools

Academic results: In 2024–25, MCPS recorded Standards of Learning pass rates of:

• 55% in reading
• 57% in mathematics
• 48% in science

Attendance: Chronic absenteeism was 20% in 2024–25, down from 22.3% in 2023–24.

Enrollment: MCPS projects 7,298 local students for 2026–27. Official fall enrollment figures will be available later in the school year.

Budget: The adopted MCPS budget for fiscal year 2027 totals approximately $175.8 million across all funds.

Why it matters: These figures establish a starting point residents can use to follow changes in the school division over time.

How Does MCPS Compare Academically?

The latest complete division-level SOL results are from the 2024–25 school year.

From 2023–24 to 2024–25:

• The mathematics pass rate increased from 52% to 57%.
• The reading pass rate changed from 57% to 55%.
• The science pass rate remained at 48%.

An SOL pass rate is the percentage of tested students who met Virginia’s passing standard. Division-level results combine tests administered across several grades and applicable high school courses.

The regional comparison uses the same reporting year, state source and student group. Individual school, grade and course results may differ from the division-wide figures.

Detailed information is available through the Virginia Department of Education’s SOL results and downloadable data.

Is Attendance Improving?

MCPS reported a chronic absenteeism rate of 20% in 2024–25, down from 22.3% the previous year.

Virginia’s statewide chronic absenteeism rate was 14.8% in 2024–25.

Virginia defines chronic absenteeism as missing at least 10% of the school year for any reason. In a 180-day school year, that is approximately 18 days.

More information is available through the Virginia Department of Education’s attendance and school engagement page.

How Many Students Does MCPS Expect?

MCPS projects 7,298 local students for the 2026–27 school year. The official enrollment count will be available after the fall count is completed.

The projection does not include students enrolled in the Virginia Virtual Academy of Manassas.

What Is the School Budget?

The adopted MCPS budget for fiscal year 2027 totals $175,802,692 across all funds, rounded to $175.8 million in the dashboard.

The budget includes revenue and expenses associated with the Virginia Virtual Academy. Virtual academy students are not included in the projected local enrollment of 7,298 students.

Because the budget and enrollment figures cover different student populations, dividing the entire budget by 7,298 would not provide a comparable per-student figure.

The Journal will examine school spending separately using budget and enrollment figures that cover the same student population.

The full figures are available in the MCPS FY2027 Summary of Budgeted Revenues and Expenditures.

MCPS Added a Tenth, Fully Online School in 2025

The Virginia Virtual Academy of Manassas is a full-time online public school created through an agreement between MCPS and K12 Virtual Schools L.L.C.

The Manassas City School Board approved the agreement on July 8, 2025, establishing the virtual academy as the division’s tenth school. The program serves Virginia students, including students who live outside Manassas.

The Virginia Department of Education requires school divisions to provide virtual students with qualified teachers, standards-aligned instruction, required assessments, specialized support and other required student services.

More information is available in the MCPS announcement establishing the Virginia Virtual Academy of Manassas and the state’s virtual-learning information for families.

What’s Next?

The Journal will update the dashboards when new, comparable official information becomes available.

SOL results and attendance information are generally released annually. Enrollment will be updated after the official fall count. Budget information will be updated when a new budget or amendment is approved.

If testing standards, definitions or reporting methods change, the Journal will explain the changes alongside the updated figures.

Where Residents Can Learn More

• Virginia SOL results and downloadable data
• MCPS Virginia School Quality Profile
• Virginia attendance and school engagement information
• MCPS FY2027–31 Capital Improvement Plan and enrollment projections
• Virginia virtual-learning information for families
• MCPS Virginia Virtual Academy announcement
• MCPS FY2027 adopted budget summary

Journal Note

This article is based on official information publicly available as of August 15, 2026.

The figures measure different parts of the school system and are released on different schedules. The Journal will update each measurement separately when new, comparable information becomes available.