Located within the mid-Atlantic region of the US, Goochland is a traditionally-rural county within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Situated just west of Virginia’s capital of Richmond, it’s a stage for exploring history and natural beauty, and it offers easy access to major urban centers due to its proximity to interstates and airports. Explore Goochland’s past through the Goochland Historical Society.

The public schools in Goochland County are managed by our school board and our superintendent, Dr. Michael Cromartie.  Dr. Cromartie welcomes you to explore more about our schools and our expanding, supportive community.

Goochland County was created in 1727 from Henrico Shire, which was one of the eight shires into which the Virginia Colony had been divided in 1634. At the time of its founding, Goochland County stretched from Tuckahoe Creek on both sides of the James River and west including the land that later became the counties of Powhatan, Cumberland, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Albemarle, Amherst and Nelson.

In the earliest days of Goochland County, education of children was solely the responsibility of parents. Tutors, plantation schoolhouses, old field schools, and private schooling were available to families who could afford to employ others to educate their children. Families who could not afford formal education taught their children what they knew, sought apprenticeships for their sons, and looked to the Bible as the only available textbook.

The Goochland County Public Schools were opened in 1870. They have been in operation continuously since that time. The budget has grown from $6,275.50 in 1886 to over $29M in 2017. Goochland County was the first school division in Virginia to offer transportation to its students: a horse-drawn wagon. In 1890, there were seven schools; through the 1950s there were as many as 61 schools.

Historically, the Goochland County Public Schools have been a reflection of the communities they serve. Today, ethnic, economic and racial diversity, increasing population, residents’ higher expectations, and high profile accountability are forces that create conditions for continuous change in our community and our schools.

Today there are three elementary schools (Byrd Elementary, Goochland Elementary, Randolph Elementary), one middle school (Goochland Middle School), and one high school (Goochland High School). Goochland Tech, adjacent to Goochland Elementary, currently serves an alternative education, CTE, and preschool and is jointly managed between GES and GHS.

Natural growth and development have a strong heritage in Goochland County. At the time of its founding in 1727, Goochland was a frontier area and offered a natural setting for large plantations and country estates. Tuckahoe Plantation, boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson, is the oldest recorded "River Plantation" in the country. The narrow, cedar lined lane still captivates approaching visitors as it did galloping horsemen centuries ago. Goochland County has been the scene of evolution in transportation. George Washington’s Kanawha Canal gave way to the railroad. Winding, country roads which once serviced travelers from Charlottesville to Richmond became local thoroughfares, Routes 6 and 250.

With the creation of Interstate 64, Route 250’s role became that of a commercial and industrial business corridor. Agriculture, forestry and mining are still vital to our economy. Today we have fewer farms, but these more contemporary establishments are geared to crops, cattle and horses. The tradition of controlled growth continues as major companies discover Goochland to be affordable, well located, and free of the hustle of city and suburban traffic.

The growth patterns of the greater metropolitan Richmond area have placed Goochland County in the best of two worlds. Goochland is located on the western border of this fast, growing region. Our businesses have the convenience of urban roadways and the comfort of open, rural space.

Interstate 64 serves as a link between Goochland and major markets throughout the eastern region of the United States. The intersection of I-64 and I-295 is only three miles east of Goochland, providing easy access to Interstate 95 and the major cities of Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, and to Interstate 85 south to Charlotte and Atlanta.

Route 288 is a new regional highway that circumvents Richmond and passes through eastern Goochland. This links Goochland, Henrico, and Chesterfield Counties, and provides even easier access to Interstate 95.

Goochland County’s location puts us within reach of countless cultural activities from historic Civil War battlegrounds to numerous museums and theaters in the Metropolitan Richmond area. Williamsburg, Washington D.C., the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Virginia Beach are all within a two hour drive.

The following information explains the Internet Privacy Policy, which the Goochland County School Board has adopted for its website. The following is intended to explain our current Internet privacy practices, but shall not be construed as a contractual promise. We reserve the right to amend our Internet Privacy Policy Statement at any time without notice.

We protect our records in accordance with our obligations as defined by applicable Virginia statutes, including, but not limited to, Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and by any applicable federal laws.

Our website may contain links to other public or private entities’ websites, whose privacy practices we do not control.

When you access our website, the routing information, and the essential and nonessential technical information listed below, is automatically collected. No other information is collected through our website except when you deliberately decide to send it to us (for example, by clicking on a link to send us an email). The information you might choose to send us is listed below as “optional information.”

• Routing information: the Internet domain and Internet address of the computer you are using.

• Essential technical information: identification of the page or service you are requesting, type of browser and operating system you are using and the date and time of access.

• Nonessential technical information: the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our website, [and the “cookie information” described below].

• Optional information: when you send us an e-mail, your name, e-mail address, and the content of your e-mail, and/or when you fill out online forms, all the data you choose to fill in or confirm.

Our website places “cookies” on your computer unless your browser is set to reject cookies. The cookies enable our website to recognize you when you return to the website at a later date or time and enable us to personalize the website with preferences or information you have provided during prior sessions. The cookie information placed on your computer by this website may include login verification includes the following: WordPress, Expression Engine, Wiki, PowerSchool and other Google services that we offer that require logins to access. The cookie information placed on your computer by this website may include login verification from WordPress, Twitter, PowerSchool other Google services that we offer that require logins to access. We also use cookies via Google Analytics to help us improve the website experience for our users.

Routing information is used to route the requested web page to your computer for viewing. We send the requested web page and the routing information to our Internet Service Provider (ISP) or other entities involved in transmitting the requested page to you. We do not control the privacy practices of those entities. Essential and nonessential technical information helps us respond to your request in an appropriate format, or in a personalized manner and helps us plan website improvement.

Optional information enables us to provide services or information tailored more specifically to your needs or to forward your message or inquiry to another entity that is better able to do so, and also allows us to plan website improvements.

We may keep your information indefinitely, but do not try to obtain any information to link it to the individuals who browse our website. For example, we use Google Analytics to learn about our visitors’ operating systems, resolution preferences and if it is a Windows machine. We use routing information primarily in a statistical summary type format to assess site content and server performance. We may share this summary information with our business partners when needed.

However, on rare occasions when a “hacker” attempts to breach computer security, logs of routing information are retained to permit a security investigation and in such cases may be forwarded together with any other relevant information in our possession to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

Optional information is retained in accordance with the Records Retention Schedules promulgated by the Library of Virginia.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, any records in our possession at the time of a request for information, including the collection of logs and data of a website, may be subject to being inspected by or disclosed to members of the public for any purpose.

There is no legal requirement for you to provide any information at our website. However, our website will not work without routing information and the essential technical information. Failure of your browser to provide nonessential technical information will not prevent your use of our website but may prevent certain features from working. Failure to provide optional information may mean that the particular feature or service associated with that part of the web page will not be available to you.

If you have questions about this privacy statement or the practices of this website or if you choose to review or correct any information, please contact us at 804 556-5630.