CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Charlottesville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Royal Gurley has announced his recommendation for an elementary zoning plan to prevent overcrowding. It would also help to balance socioeconomic and diversity. It follows months of community engagement with a goal of reducing the number of students who will need to change schools.

A Q&A session for the public will be held in February, with a public hearing during which residents who are impacted will give testimony. A final vote is tentatively scheduled for March 27.

Full information is found below.

January 30, 2025, News Release

CHARLOTTESVILLE, January 30, 2025—Charlottesville City Schools announces today the superintendent’s recommendation for an elementary rezoning plan that would prevent overcrowding while also balancing socioeconomic diversity across schools.

The proposal’s implementation schedule is designed so that fewer current students will need to change schools. The proposal was reached after months of community engagement and the deliberation of a volunteer advisory group and staff working group.

In February there will be a Q&A session for the public, and a public hearing for impacted residents to give testimony. Over the course of three meetings, the School Board will hear the proposal and public feedback, with a final vote tentatively scheduled at its March 27 meeting.

Changes to current attendance zones – which haven’t been significantly updated in 50 years – would prevent overcrowding of individual elementary schools, particularly in light of housing developments and other City or UVA policies that might bring an increased number of students into the schools. The rezoning process is also an opportunity to ensure that no one school has a disproportionately large number of students with high needs compared to others in the division (e.g. economically disadvantaged or English language learners).

For the detailed proposal, including an interactive locator map, visit https://charlottesvilleschools.org/zoning.

Proposed zone changes

The first major zone transition would be in August 2027. All other transitions would not occur until August 2029 at the earliest.

August 2027:

  • Students living west of Kindlewood currently zoned to Summit would be zoned to Burnley-Moran.

August 2029:

  • Students living at Kindlewood would move from Summit to Burnley-Moran.
  • Students living north of 250 currently zoned to Burnley-Moran (Locust Grove and Park Street areas) would move to Greenbrier.
  • Students living south of 250 currently zoned to Greenbrier (Rose Hill and Birdwood areas) would move to Trailblazer.
  • Students living in the Meadows neighborhood (homes west of 29 currently zoned for Greenbrier) would move to Trailblazer.

Additionally, there are a few small parcels in the current Jackson-Via, Johnson, and Summit zones where no students currently live that would be rezoned immediately to avoid impacting any families who move there in the future.

Families will have the opportunity to apply for exemptions for 4th/5th graders, younger siblings, and future kindergarteners to minimize transitions for current students.

The timeline for implementation is dependent on the progress of area residential construction projects, which will be reported in annual updates to the School Board and families.

“This rezoning process has shown me just how beloved all six of our elementary schools are: no family wants to go to a new school,” said Superintendent Dr. Royal A. Gurley, Jr. “But changes are needed. These are tough decisions to make, but we’ve had strong community engagement and excellent guidance along the way.”

Chances to Learn More and Give Feedback

There will be two community meetings in February: one a Q&A and one a public hearing for giving feedback:

  • Rezoning Community Q&A: Tuesday, February 4, 5-6pm, Summit Elementary. Community members are invited to ask questions to make sure they fully understand the proposal. Questions can be broad or very specific about timelines or impact to your family.
  • Rezoning Community Feedback Meeting: Tuesday, February 11, 5-7pm, CHS. Community members are invited to provide in-person comments on the recommendation – or submit comments in writing via a survey.

School Board Timeline

Additionally, the School Board will review, discuss, and take action on rezoning on the following dates:

  • Thursday, February 6, 5pm: The Board meeting will feature an overview of the proposed rezoning information to help inform the public.
  • Thursday, March 6, 5pm: Rezoning will be a discussion item for the Board meeting.
  • Thursday, March 27, 5pm: Rezoning will likely be scheduled for a vote at this Board meeting.