Category: News

Leaders Respond to 500,000 Virginias Without High School Diplomas or GEDs.

Virginia marked a milestone Monday with the opening of the Commonwealth’s first adult high school, giving residents a second chance to earn their diplomas.

The Excel Center, located at Melrose Plaza in Roanoke, welcomed its inaugural class of more than 50 students. Unlike a GED program, the school offers adults a chance to earn an actual high school diploma in just 18 weeks, with the option to add industry certifications tailored to specific career paths.

“To see this happening here is just an exciting representation of the fact that we’re all life-long learners,” Governor Glenn Youngkin told 10 News. “Some just might need that first big step. A high school diploma, their first credential, a certificate that opens up a new avenue for them. And I’m excited to see it embodied right here in Roanoke.”

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A free high school for adults seeking their diploma has been approved to operate in Roanoke by the state Department of Education.

The school, called the Excel Center, will be operated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. The nonprofit announced the school in March 2023 as part of its Melrose Plaza project. Goodwill is repurposing part of its regional headquarters at the corner of Melrose Avenue and 24th Street Northwest for the community hub, which will also include a bank branch and health clinic. A grocery store is scheduled to open in the plaza in December. 

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ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Virginia’s first high school for adults has been approved by the Virginia Department of Education and it is coming to Roanoke.

More than 670,000 adults in Virginia do not have high school diplomas. The Roanoke Valley itself has about 14,000 of those adults. But that could soon change, with Goodwill Industries of the Valleys receiving approval for a new high school aimed at that age group.

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