The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jcps Virtual Academy
JCPS Virtual Academy is a full-spectrum virtual school serving kindergarten through grade twelve within Johnston County Public Schools. It enrolls a small student body, the majority of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, with representation across racial and ethnic groups: just over half the enrollment is white, with substantial shares of Black and Hispanic students, and smaller populations of Asian students and students identifying as two or more races.
The school's most recent state assessment results, from spring 2025, show performance that varies by subject. In English language arts for grades three through eight, about half of tested students met or exceeded proficiency. In mathematics for the same grades, proficiency fell notably lower, at just over one-third. Science testing included a smaller group of students; roughly half of those tested met proficiency. These results do not place the school in a position to highlight strong achievement, and a parent may want to understand more directly from the school about how virtual instruction is tailored to support the learning gains of students working independently at home and how the school addresses the particular challenges virtual environments can pose in math, where students often struggle without in-person guidance.
The enrollment profile shows that JCPS Virtual Academy draws students across all grade bands, though high school grades account for a larger share of the population. The lower elementary grades represent a smaller enrollment, with only a handful of kindergarteners and first-graders. This grade-band imbalance is typical of virtual schools, which often see fewer families choosing remote learning for very young children who benefit from in-person social and physical development.
Nearly all students in the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a threshold substantially higher than typical public schools. This may reflect either the student population the school intentionally serves, demographic patterns in Johnston County broadly, or both. Virtual schooling can serve students facing transportation barriers, health challenges, or economic instability, and the composition here suggests the school serves a population with real economic need.
The school sits in Smithfield, the Johnston County seat, in a region experiencing rapid residential and commercial growth. The county has approved two major school bond referendums, in 2022 and 2024, to address capacity pressures driven by in-migration from the Raleigh area. A new high school is slated to open in fall 2026, and the district is reducing reliance on mobile classrooms across its feeder patterns. For families considering the virtual academy, this context matters: Johnston County Public Schools overall is well-resourced and expanding, and virtual enrollment is one pathway families use when seeking alternatives to in-person options during a period of district growth.
The school's academic results suggest it serves a student population with significant academic needs and that virtual instruction, while accessible and flexible, may carry trade-offs in core skill mastery compared to in-person settings. Parents choosing this path should have clarity from the school on how it closes proficiency gaps in math, how it delivers synchronous support versus asynchronous coursework, and what happens when a student falls behind in an environment where peer accountability and teacher proximity are inherently limited. The high free-lunch rate and the grade-band composition point to a school serving real family needs, not a selective or affluent population. Understanding those needs directly with the school is essential for families weighing this choice.
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