Laboratory Schools
News & Announcements
Overview
What Are College Partnership Laboratory Schools?
College Partnership Laboratory Schools—often called “Lab Schools”—are public, nonsectarian, and nonreligious schools in Virginia. They are public school programs created through partnerships with:
- Public institutions of higher education
- Public higher education centers, institutes, or authorities
- Eligible private colleges and universities (as defined by Virginia’s Tuition Assistance Grant Program
These schools are designed to bring innovation directly into K–12 education by leveraging the expertise and resources of higher education institutions. A full list of eligible partners is available at the bottom of this page.
Purpose and Vision of Lab Schools
Lab Schools are built to be incubators of educational innovation. According to Virginia law (§ 22.1-349.1), they aim to:
- Spark creative and effective programs from preschool through grade 12
- Promote new approaches to teaching and assessment
- Empower teachers to rethink instruction, scheduling, and school structure
- Support performance-based learning models
- Set high standards for educators and school leaders
- Strengthening collaboration between early childhood and postsecondary education
- Serve as models for other schools across the Commonwealth
Governance, Standards & Accountability
Lab Schools are public schools and must follow all federal and state laws; they must:
- Comply with all federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination based on disability, race, gender, religion, and other protected categories.
- Adhere to the same academic and operational standards as other public schools in Virginia, including the Standards of Learning (SOLs), Standards of Accreditation, and Standards of Quality (SOQs).
- Employ teachers who are licensed by the Virginia Board of Education or eligible for licensure through educator preparation programs.
- More details on governance and enrollment requirements can be found in § 22.1-349.3 and related sections.
The 15 lab schools are listed below:
Academy of Technology and Innovation (ATI-UMW)
- Mission: Provides an innovative experience merging the high tech skill needs of today’s economy with the robust, critical thinking of a liberal arts and science foundation. Focused on the increasingly integrated relationship between computer and data science as applied across content areas, students attending ATI-UMW will learn the technology skills and innovative thinking approaches to help them succeed in careers that matter to them.
- Higher Education Partners: University of Mary Washington
- School Divisions: Caroline County, Fredericksburg City, King George County, Orange County, and Stafford County
Accelerated College and Employability Skills Academy (ACCESS)
- Mission: Designed to give students an alternative educational pathway that expands access to information technology (IT) education and skills essential for IT careers.
- Higher Education Partners: George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College
- School Divisions: Loudoun County
Aerospace Academy of the Eastern Shore (AAES)
- Mission: The Aerospace Academy of the Eastern Shore (AAES) is dedicated to empowering at-risk and underrepresented students by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to thrive in aerospace and related industries. Our mission is to inspire future leaders, foster a laboratory of educational innovation, and drive collaborative research that advances transformative practices. Through our commitment to access and opportunity, we aim to build a pathway for students to shape the future of the aerospace industry.
- Higher Education Partners: Old Dominion University, Eastern Shore Community College
- School Divisions: Accomack, Northampton
Computer Science Lab School of Oscar Smith Middle (SmithTech)
- Mission: Dedicated to seamlessly integrating computer science into the curriculum through a human-centered design thinking framework.
- Higher Education Partners: Old Dominion University
- School Divisions: Chesapeake
Explore @RC – The Lab School at Roanoke College
- Mission: Allow local high school students in grades 10-12 to participate in a dual-enrollment program, taking 12 free college-level courses on Roanoke’s campus and getting a jump start on earning a four-year degree. Allows students to earn free college credits through half days on Roanoke’s campus and half day back at school division.
- Higher Education Partners: Roanoke College, Old Dominion University
- School Divisions: Salem City, Roanoke City
Future Educators Academy (FEA)
- Mission: Offers an academically rigorous and rewarding challenge for exceptional, college-ready high school students looking at becoming educators. Participants work toward their high school diploma and transferable associate degree from Germanna at the same time.
- Higher Education Partners: Germanna Community College, Laurel Ridge Community College, Old Dominion University
- School Divisions: Culpeper County, Orange County, Madison County, Rappahannock County, Clarke County, Fauquier County, Frederick County, Page County, Shenandoah County, Warren County, City of Winchester
Isle Maritime Trades Academy (IMTA)
- Mission: Educate and train a significant and sustainable number of students in maritime trades annually, through innovative, integrated, experience and project-based career technical education, so that academy graduates are workplace ready upon high school graduation.
- Higher Education Partners: Paul D. Camp Community College
- Business Partners: Newport News Shipbuilding
- School Divisions: Isle of Wight County
Lab School for Innovation & Career Exploration
- Mission: Intent of this initiative is to provide high school students with interdisciplinary, hands-on, project-based learning opportunities that allow students to engage in real-world application of problem-solving. Students will be able to use these learning experiences to explore a variety of careers, in order to inspire and empower their own individual career readiness pathway.
- Higher Education Partners: James Madison University, Blue Ridge Community College
- School Divisions: Rockingham County
Maritime Engineering and Environmental Studies Academy (MEESA)
- Mission: Focuses on maritime and environmental studies, emphasizing experiential learning and community partnerships. The academy aims for academic excellence, innovation, and preparing students to meet the growing demands of the Maritime industry.
- Higher Education Partners: Old Dominion University
- School Divisions: Newport News
Mountain Gateway TEC IT Academy (MG-TEC)
- Mission: Aims to provide high school students with a thorough education in Information Technology (IT). Once students complete their selected pathway, they will receive an industry-recognized certificate, setting them on a fast track to a career in IT right after high school.
- Higher Education Partners: Mountain Gateway Community College, Old Dominion University
- School Divisions: Rockbridge, Buena Vista, Bath, Alleghany Highlands, Botetourt
Shenandoah Valley Rural Regional College Partnership Lab School for Data Science, Computing, and Applications (DSCA Lab School)
- Mission: Programming will cover data science and computing, research opportunities, apprenticeships and internships, experiential and project-based learning, certifications and microcredentials in data analytics, opportunities to earn an associate’s degree and college credits, as well as work-based learning opportunities.
- Higher Education Partners: George Mason University, Laurel Ridge Community College
- School Divisions: Frederick County, Clarke County, Fauquier County, Page County, Shenandoah County, Warren County, and Winchester
Southwest Virginia Healthcare Excellence Academy Lab School (SWVA-HEALS)
- Mission: Serves as a pipeline preparing future healthcare professionals to meet the workforce shortages in Southwest Virginia. Focuses on career exploration in the many disciplines of healthcare professions—including nursing and mental health—with hands-on clinical skills development and shadowing opportunities.
- Higher Education Partners: Emory & Henry’s School of Health Sciences, Virginia Highlands Community College, Wytheville Community College, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center and the A. Linwood Holton Governor’s School
- School Divisions: Smyth County, Wythe County, Washington County and the City of Bristol
STEM Academy at Booker T. Washington
- Mission: The STEM Academy at Booker T Washington (SABTW) revolutionizes education for the youngest learners by promoting experiential learning led by master educators in a nurturing environment. The Lab School focuses on community- and field-based learning to address real-world issues, preparing students for an innovative and STEM-focused future. The Academy is an inclusive environment catering to diverse learning styles and backgrounds.
- Higher Education Partners: Old Dominion University
- School Divisions: Suffolk
- Mission: Engage all students in personally meaningful, computationally rich, and interdisciplinary learning experiences. Fuel innovation, and empower students to solve problems and pursue lifelong learning to create a collaborative and inclusive educational space using a push-in model
- Higher Education Partners: University of Virginia
- School Divisions: Charlottesville
- Mission: Help provide an innovative computer science-focused comprehensive high school education to a diverse student body at CodeRVA, serve as a training site for teacher residents, and afford professional learning opportunities for educators across the state.
- Higher Education Partners: Virginia Commonwealth University
- School Divisions: Amelia, Charles City, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, New Kent, Petersburg, Powhatan, Prince George, Richmond City, Sussex
ODU Center for Educational Innovation and Opportunity
The Center for Educational Innovation and Opportunity (CEIO) at Old Dominion University serves as a hub for advancing innovation and excellence in education across the Commonwealth. Through research, policy development, and collaborative partnerships, CEIO works to identify and address barriers to student success. As part of its commitment to expanding access, CEIO is actively engaged in the development and support of lab schools.
Through its work with lab schools, CEIO helps design innovative curricula, build community partnerships, and prepare future educators to meet the needs of diverse learners. The Center also provides research, evaluation, and technical assistance to ensure that lab schools serve as models of excellence. By aligning resources and expertise across K-12, higher education, and industry, CEIO is helping to create scalable solutions that advance opportunities for all Virginia students.
Per-Pupil Operating Grant Funds
Board-approved Lab Schools are eligible to apply for per-pupil operating grants.
Per-pupil operating funding grants should be used to mitigate the recurring costs associated with school operation and maintenance. Types of common allowable expenditures include salaries and benefits of instructional and support staff, leased facilities used for Lab School instruction, materials and supplies, etc. The total amount for a per-pupil operating funding grant request amount is limited to the total state and local share of funding for the fiscal year based on those Standards of Quality (SOQ), Categorical, Incentive and Lottery line items distributed on a per-pupil cost basis using March 31 average daily membership. The total state and local share of funding per-pupil cost amount will be calculated by VDOE using the average statewide per-pupil cost for the noted budget line-items and the awardee’s proposed estimated number of students to be enrolled in the Lab School.
Neither initial start-up cost nor per-pupil operating grants may be used for major capital expenditures for and acquisition, new construction, building-wide renovations, or IT system development.
Questions about grants should be submitted to innovation@doe.virginia.gov.
Eligible Entities
Any public institution of higher education, public higher education center, institute, or authority; or an eligible private institution of higher education as defined in § 23.1-628 related to the Tuition Assistance Grant Program is eligible to submit an application for a Lab School to the Board of Education for approval.
Board of Education College Partnership Laboratory School Committee
The College Partnership Laboratory School Committee assists in reviewing and ruling on applications from eligible entities to open a Lab School.