Supporting Students in Transition to and from High School
Dec. 15, 2025

This report is part of a two-part series focused on supporting students in transition across PK-12 education. Specifically, it explores transitions into and out of high school school. The report includes a synthesis of recent peer-reviewed literature, analysis of publicly available data (with a specific focus on Virginia and the metropolitan Richmond region), and summary of relevant federal, state, and school division-level policies. It answers the following questions:
1. What are key considerations for supporting students in transition to and from high school in the MERC region?
2. How do federal, state, and division policies guide support for student transitions to and from high school?
It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations. An executive summary is provided at the beginning of the report.