City: Ashland, VA

Category: Education

Telephone: (804) 365-4500

Address: 200 Berkley St.

Description: Serving nearly 20,000 students from prekindergarten through high school, the Hanover County Public School system employs approximately 1,500 classroom teachers in 25 schools, including an alternative education center and a trade and technology center. In 2009, for the eighth year in a row, 100 percent of Hanover public schools earned full accreditation. Awarded ten National Blue Ribbon School Awards by the U.S. Department of Education since 1996, the district offers International Baccalaureate diploma, Advanced Placement courses, and dual-enrollment classes for secondary students. The district’s students have the highest average SAT scores in the region. More than half of 2009 graduates earned an advanced diploma. Eight Hanover schools received Governor’s Awards for Educational Excellence in 2010, and the entire school system and seven schools received Board of Education Excellence Awards in 2010.