10/07/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Madison County Public Schools Celebrates Full Accreditation and High Academic Achievement Across All Division Schools
MADISON, VA — Madison County Public Schools (MCPS) is proud to announce that all division schools have earned 100% Full Accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education for the latest accountability rating cycle.
In addition to earning full accreditation, Madison County Public Schools celebrated outstanding results in the state’s Fall 2026 School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF). William Wetsel Middle School and Madison County High School earned the top rating of Distinguished, while Madison Primary School and Waverly Yowell Elementary School both achieved Meets Expectations, the state's second-highest rating category.
Across every grade level, student performance demonstrated remarkable growth and milestone achievements:
Madison Primary School: Foundational reading performance surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching 86.1% in Tier 1.
Waverly Yowell Elementary School: Science pass rates hit a post-pandemic high of 72%, accompanied by a 17-point gain in mathematics over the last four years.
William Wetsel Middle School: Math pass rates jumped 10 percentage points to reach their highest level since 2018.
Madison County High School: Maintained top-tier outcomes, keeping reading pass rates above 80% for four consecutive years.
Graduation & Career Readiness: MCHS achieved an outstanding 97.9% on-time graduation rate, significantly outperforming the Virginia state average of 93.5%. In addition, student engagement in rigorous coursework remained strong, with 12.9% participating in dual enrollment courses and 6.45% enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
Division-Wide Attendance Improvements: Through dedicated efforts, Madison County Public Schools made significant strides in curbing chronic absenteeism, sharply reducing the number of students missing 10% or more of the school year. School-level rates reflected this progress, led by Waverly Yowell Elementary with an extraordinary 1.2% chronic absenteeism rate, an achievement that earned the school a spot among the Top 5 elementary schools in Region IV for Readiness. Madison Primary School followed with a strong 5.8%, while Wetsel Middle School and Madison County High School recorded rates of 8.7% and 21.1%, respectively.
Division leadership credits these achievements to a clear focus on core instruction, dedication from educators, and strong community support.
These academic gains directly reflect the division's overarching theme and core values: Every Student Matters. Every Moment Counts.
"Every decision matters. Every greeting at the classroom door or bus stop matters. Every warm smile, every check for understanding, every word of encouragement, it all matters," Superintendent Anna Graham emphasized. "For a child, one brief moment with a caring adult can change the trajectory of their life. We never know which moment that will be. And that is why every moment counts."
Madison County Public Schools remains committed to providing an exceptional educational environment where every student is supported, challenged, and empowered to succeed.
