Northampton Schools celebrate year’s accomplishments

Northampton County Public Schools is highlighting a year of academic growth, expanded student support, and major achievements in arts, athletics, robotics, and other competitive programs as the 2025-26 school year comes to a close.

According to the division, one of the year’s top accomplishments was achieving full accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education. Northampton High School also earned “Distinguished” status, scoring 97.1 points on the state’s accountability framework.

NCPS also reported strong statewide improvement rankings, including first in math improvement and fourth in reading improvement among students in grades 3 through 8. The division also ranked fifth statewide in reducing chronic absenteeism among K-12 students.

The school division also pointed to new investments in technology and workforce training. NCPS said it secured a $2 million federal allocation for renovations and upgrades to Career and Technical Education facilities in Eastville, along with an $842,304 USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant. That grant will support 96 high-definition video conferencing systems across the division, expanding access to advanced coursework, teacher training, and virtual student support services.

The division also expanded family and student support programs during the year, including teletherapy through Uwill, continued use of ParentGuidance.org, and several family engagement events. NCPS also cited its annual food drive, which supported 25 local families.

Literacy was another major focus. The NCPS Reads program engaged students and families through shared reading initiatives, while the NCPS Bookmobile visited 15 community events and distributed more than 1,300 new books during the school year.

Several schools and programs also earned state and national recognition. Occohannock Elementary School was again named to the Virginia Quality Birth to Five Excellence Honor Roll, ranking in the top 3% of participating early childhood sites in Virginia. Northampton County Public Schools also received the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education designation for the third consecutive year.

Kiptopeke Elementary School’s PTA was named a National PTA School of Excellence for 2024-26, recognizing its work to strengthen family-school partnerships and support student success.

Students also had success in academic and technical competitions. Three Northampton Odyssey of the Mind teams advanced to the state tournament and earned podium finishes, with the Northampton High School Structure team qualifying for World Finals. Northampton High School’s ShoreBots robotics team also had its most successful season in program history, winning its first division championship “Blue Banner” and earning a Quality Award.

Athletics were also a major highlight. NCPS reported nine Eastern Shore District titles, two Region A championships, nine state appearances, one VHSL state runner-up finish, and one VHSL state championship. Northampton High School boys soccer won the Eastern Shore District, Region A, and VHSL Class 1 state titles, while the girls outdoor track team finished as VHSL Class 1 state runner-up.

Other highlights included district championships in football, girls cross country, girls soccer and volleyball, along with postseason appearances in several additional sports. At the middle school level, baseball completed an undefeated 9-0 season to win the district championship, while boys basketball won the district playoff tournament.

Division officials said the year’s accomplishments reflect the work of students, teachers, staff, families, and community partners, and set a new benchmark for academic and extracurricular success in Northampton County.