Virginia officials are disputing a report that says the state’s high school graduation rate dropped over a 10-year period. The report by the publisher of Education Week says Virginia had a 73.4 percent graduation rate in 1996, compared with 69.2 percent in 2006. The statistics used by Editorial Projects in Education were the latest available to compare states.

Off Nuckols Road will be Holman Middle School , named after the family whose farm encompassed land in that area. Both schools will open in 2010.

Several Richmond-area high schools made U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of best American high schools, which was topped by a school in Fairfax County. Richmond’s Community High School, Henrico County’s Deep Run and Godwin high schools and Chesterfield County’s Midlothian High School were among 504 nationally to win silver medals.