Chesterfield County Public Schools -

The start of school is just around the corner

Spread the word! In a few weeks, schools will open for the 2024-25 school year (except Bellwood Elementary, which follows a year-round calendar and opened to students July 22).Check the Back-to-School page on the school division website for information and details for families

Leaders from Chesterfield County Public Schools and Chesterfield County government cut a ribbon on Aug. 1 to officially open the new Falling Creek Middle School. Completed on time and under budget next to the old Falling Creek Middle, the new building is Chesterfield’s first three-story middle school and the largest middle school in central Virginia. It cost $103 million and was financed by Virginia Public School Authority bonds.

Built for 1,800 students, the 238,963-square-foot school in the Dale District positions sixth, seventh and eighth graders on separate floors. Each “grade house” contains 19 regular classrooms and five science labs, as well as dispersed conference rooms, teacher workrooms and offices. In addition to the grade houses, an exploratory wing offers electives in such courses as art, world language, technology/fabrication, business and family and consumer science.

Eventually, the old Falling Creek Middle building will be demolished and the site will be developed to include an eight-lane running track around a soccer field, a softball field and tennis and basketball courts. But through spring 2026, the old building will house Bensley Elementary while a replacement school is built on the current Bensley Elementary site. See more photos here.

Food distribution center will transform school cafeterias

Chesterfield County Public Schools now operates a food distribution center serving school cafeterias. The Food and Nutrition Services Department facility will improve quality and efficiency, increase locally sourced fresh fruits and vegetables served in schools, decrease waste, expand cooking capabilities and reduce reliance on processed food. During a ceremony to officially open the food distribution center, school leaders wore aprons and wielded a cleaver to slice through a ribbon of plastic wrap. Learn more about the food distribution center here.

El Librotazo event helps build home libraries with free books

Earlier this month, Chesterfield County Public Schools families enjoyed a day of fun as kids selected free books to add to their personal libraries. Check out this video to see how the community rallied behind the first-ever event to provide children with an incredible experience.

How to solve problems at school

Everyone within CCPS works to support students and help them grow into strong young people. When there is a problem, we want to connect with students and families to solve it. As we move toward the start of a new school year, we want to be sure that families know what to do if you have a concern. Communicating to school staff members is the best way to start. Here is a handy chart to help the problem-solving process. See the problem-solving chart in Spanish.

What are your thoughts about police department partnership?

Chesterfield County Public Schools and the Chesterfield County Police Department have a close connection, working as partners to protect students and school staff members. A memorandum of understanding, which is updated regularly, provides a framework for the partnership. The Chesterfield County School Board invites public comment on an updated memorandum of understanding. Email comments to ccpsinfo@ccpsnet.net before Aug. 4.

Cellphones in schools is topic of meeting at CTC@Hull

The Virginia Department of Education will host a meeting at the Chesterfield Career and Technical Center @ Hull to hear from parents, teachers and others about “the best ways to achieve cellphone-free education in Virginia and address the increasing evidence of the impact cellphone and social media usage has on youth mental health and education performance.” The Chesterfield meeting will take place 4-5:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at CTC@Hull, 13900 Hull Street Road. It is one of eight meetings scheduled across Virginia to discuss cellphones in schools in connection to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 33. The Virginia Department of Education website provides details about all of the meetings and a link to an online form to submit comments. 

Early Childhood Academy is for families of young children with disabilities 

Families of young children with disabilities and developmental delays can register for an online Early Childhood Academy offered by the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education. The free, five-week learning program is designed to provide parents and caregivers of children from birth to age 6 with useful tips and ideas for supporting their child's development and resources to help make the transition from early intervention to school less confusing. The Early Childhood Academy course is self-paced, with new sessions opening weekly from Aug. 16 through Sept. 20 and available at any time of day.

Applications open for statewide Student Advisory Board

Applications are open through Sept. 15 for the Student Advisory Board of the Virginia Department of Education. The governor appoints one high school senior from each of the eight regions of Virginia to the Student Advisory Board. Students are chosen based on academic achievement and passion for educational policy issues. Details and a link to the application form are online.

Student schedules and teacher assignments expected Aug. 12

Student schedules for 2024-25 are expected to be available for families to see at 5 p.m. Aug. 12 via ParentVUE and StudentVUE. Middle and high school students will see their daily schedule of classes, and elementary students will see their teacher assignments. Please note: Schedules and teacher assignments may change before the start of the school year.

School supplies and sales tax holiday

Crayons and notebooks and pencils! School supplies are moving toward the top of everyone’s to-do lists as the start of a new school year approaches. Virginia has scheduled a sales tax holiday to help family budgets, which means sales tax will not be collected Aug. 2-4 when you buy qualifying items like school supplies, clothing and shoes. Elementary school and middle school families can find supply lists by going to oneccps.org, choosing their school, then locating “school supplies” or “supply list” under the school information tab. High school students will find out specific needs during the first few days of their classes.

How to get summer support for Chromebooks

Need help with your student’s Chromebook? You can set up an appointment 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday through Aug. 15. To make an appointment, email this information to chromebook@ccps.incidentiq.com: student name, student number, Chromebook asset tag number, brief description of issue, time and date you would like to schedule appointment and your preferred location (choose from sites listed above).

Students in grades 1-12 who are new to Chesterfield County Public Schools can pick up Chromebooks before school starts or can wait until the start of school to get Chromebooks. Incoming kindergartners will receive their Chromebooks when school starts. If you have questions, then email helpdesk@ccpsnet.net. 

Ways to pay for school breakfasts and lunches

Schools serve convenient, nutritious meals that include fresh fruits and veggies. Student lunch costs $3.25 at elementary schools and $3.50 at middle and high schools. Breakfast is $2.25 at every grade level. 

This year, all students at 42 schools are automatically eligible for free breakfasts and lunches under the USDA’s community eligibility provision. Families at these schools do not need to apply for free or reduced-price meals:

• Elementary schools: Bellwood, Bensley, Beulah, Bon Air, Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy, Chalkley, Marguerite Christian, Crenshaw, Crestwood, Curtis, Davis, Ecoff, Enon, Ettrick, Falling Creek, Gates, Harrowgate, Hening, Hopkins, Jacobs Road, Matoaca, Providence, Reams Road, Salem Church, Elizabeth Scott, Alberta Smith and Wells

• Middle schools: Carver, Elizabeth Davis, Falling Creek, Manchester, Matoaca, Providence and Salem Church

• High schools: Bird, Carver College and Career Academy, CTC@Courthouse, Thomas Dale, Matoaca, Manchester, Meadowbrook and Monacan

Families at other Chesterfield schools may apply each year for free or reduced-price school meals. The online application is available in English and Spanish. A paper application is available upon request from the school office or Food and Nutrition Services. 

The free MealViewer app makes it easy to find out what is being served each day, while the MySchoolBucks app helps parents easily keep money in student meal accounts. More information is available on oneccps.org.

Fun, free lunches at farmers market

For the second summer, families will find more than fresh produce at the Chesterfield Farmers Market (6701 Mimms Loop). In partnership with local growers, Chesterfield County Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services is at the market 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. each Wednesday through Aug. 14 serving up free lunches and fun activities for all children 18 and younger. 

Summer hours for schools continue through Aug. 9

Through Aug. 9, Chesterfield County Public Schools is open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and is closed on Fridays.

It’s time to get familiar with 2024-25 student calendar

In just over a month, schools will open for the 2024-25 school year (except Bellwood Elementary, which follows a year-round calendar and opens July 22). Complete student calendars are posted online.

Here are details about the start of school for different grades at every Chesterfield County school (except Bellwood Elementary):

• Students in prekindergarten and kindergarten start on different days. Some attend Aug. 19-20; others attend Aug. 21-22. Schools will assign students to specific days. This will allow students to become familiar with their new surroundings in a smaller classroom setting. Starting Aug. 23, all prekindergarten and kindergarten students attend daily.

• Students in grades 1-5 start school Aug. 19. 

• Sixth graders and ninth graders also start school Aug. 19. This will help students successfully transition to a new school and will help staff members begin to build relationships and share expectations.

• Students in grades 7-8 and 10-12 start school Aug. 20

• On Aug. 30 and Sept. 2, all Chesterfield County schools and school offices (including Bellwood Elementary) will be closed  for Labor Day.

Let’s get ready to ride! Update your child’s transportation information

Transportation planning is underway for the coming school year. All families are asked to update student transportation information by logging into ParentVUE to choose the way students will travel to and from school and to check your home address and any alternative addresses. Easy-to-follow directions for accessing ParentVUE are online, and your student’s school can provide additional assistance.

Make updates now to ensure that they are reflected in your student’s bus route at the start of the school year. 

• Bus stops and pickup/drop-off times will be available via Versatrans e-link beginning July 19. 

• Bus numbers will be shared with families closer to the beginning of the school year.

Transport type: How will your student travel to and from school? Within ParentVUE, choose the method that your student will use most of the time.

Addresses: There are two ways to update your student’s address:

• School registrar: A student’s home address can only be entered by the registrar at the student’s school. 

• ParentVUE: Parents/guardians can make changes to transportation information by logging into ParentVUE, clicking the student’s name, then clicking on student info. 

Alternative addresses are places students stay before or after school on a regular basis (for example: alternating custodial parent addresses). Families use ParentVUE to update alternative addresses and pickup/drop-off days as often as needed. 

More detailed information and instructions: See this document.