Rockingham County prides itself on its excellent public education system. Pleasant Valley Elementary School earned the 2012 Governor's Award for Educational Excellence. The award is the highest honor under the Virginia Index of Performance Awards incentive program created by the Board of Education. To qualify, schools must meet all state and federal achievement benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and achieve all applicable excellence goals for elementary reading, enrollment in Algebra I by the eighth grade, enrollment in college-level courses, high school graduation, attainment of advanced diplomas, increased attainment of career and industry certifications, and participation in the Virginia Preschool Initiative.
The Board of Education’s Excellence Award was given to schools that have met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and have made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunity set by the Governor and the Board of Education. The following County schools received this award in 2012: John C. Myers Elementary School and Peak View Elementary School.
Rockingham County students serve as regional and state officers of their career and technical education youth organizations. High school agriculture, business, family and consumer sciences, health sciences, marketing, technology, and trade and industrial students compete in regional, state, and national level competitions, receiving numerous individual and team awards.
Annually, Rockingham County Public Middle and High School students win scholarships from the State Fair of Virginia and other agencies as a result of their participation in career and technical programs.
Metro Area students also have the opportunity to learn at Massanutten Technical Center, which offers 19 different Career Programs for high school students and has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Education as a "Creating Excellence" school for five consecutive years.