Newsroom

YCSDigest - November 12, 2025

2026-27 Proposed Student Calendar

The School Board is scheduled to approve the 2026-27 Student Calendar at the November 24 Regular Meeting. Staff presented the proposed calendar, developed by a committee of administrators, teachers, staff, family members and students, during the October Work Session. As approved by the School Board in May 2025, the first day of school will shift to two weeks before Labor Day.

Key highlights of the proposed 2026-27 Student Calendar include:

First Day: Monday, August 24, 2026
Labor Day Break: Friday, September 4-Monday, September 7
Thanksgiving Break: Wednesday, November 25 through Friday, November 27
Winter Break: Monday, December 21 through Friday, January 1
Spring Break: Monday, April 5 through Friday, April 9 (First Full week of April)
Last Day: Wednesday, June 9, 2027

FY27 Operating Budget Forums

York County School Division values input and feedback from families, staff and community members. As we begin developing our FY27 Operating Budget, we want you to help shape our budget priorities. We’ve scheduled two community sessions in December to gather your ideas and questions regarding the division’s budget.

FY27 Budget Sessions

• Tuesday, December 2 - Queens Lake Middle School
• Thursday, December 4 - Grafton Middle School

Both sessions are scheduled from 6 – 7 p.m.

If you are not able to attend, you can share your thoughts online through December 5. Your input is not just welcomed, it's essential for our collective success.

Budget Input

Superintendent Search Update

During a special meeting on Wednesday, November 5, the York County School Board established the desired characteristics for the division’s next superintendent. These characteristics were developed based upon the results of a community survey and comments received during a public hearing and are available on the Superintendent Search webpage of the division website.

The Virginia School Boards Association is assisting the board with its search and will accept applications through December 10, 2025. The School Board will review applicants at a special meeting on December 18, 2025.

Superintendent Search

YCSD-TV Consolidation

York County has consolidated all government access programming from multiple channels to one channel. Our community can continue to watch School Board meetings and other school related programming on York County’s cable channel (Cox 86/Verizon 2138) and on the York County School Division YouTube Channel. Meetings will continue to be streamed live on YouTube and will remain available on demand.

U.S. News & World Report Rankings – K-8 Schools

Elementary and middle schools across York County have again earned top placements in U.S. News & World Reports’ annual rankings. The publication evaluated more than 135,000 K-8 schools across the country and now lists all 14 YCSD elementary and middle schools among the top 12% of public schools in Virginia.

The 2026 report, which relies on U.S. Department of Education statistics, notes that the top-ranked schools “are high-achieving and have succeeded at educating all their students.” While all YCSD earned best school awards, six schools achieved spots in Virginia’s top 25 list for each level:

Tabb Middle - #9
Grafton Middle - #14
Queens Lake Middle - #24

Tabb Elementary - #8
Mt. Vernon Elementary - #15
Coventry Elementary - #22

The full 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings, along with details about the publication’s methodology, are available on the U.S. News & World Report website.

Community Announcements

Each month, YCSD shares information from local organizations regarding educational/enrichment activities, events and opportunities for students and families. While the division neither sponsors nor endorses the announcements, they are offered as a community service for our families. Community announcements can also be found on the division website and each school's website.