The Governor's School Program
The Virginia Governor's School Program began in 1973. Virginia Governor's Schools provide some of the state's most able students academically and artistically challenging programs beyond those offered in their home schools.

Academic Year
Students attending SWVGS spend a portion of their day at the Governor's Schools but rely on their high schools to provide other programming required for graduation. The Academic-Year Governor's Schools are established as "joint schools" by Virginia School Law.

The Governing Board
The governing board is comprised of representatives from the school boards of each participating division. The Governor's School governing board sets the tuition fee for each student attending the school. The local school board determines how many juniors and seniors may attend based on funding available to the local school division for that year. The regional governing board is charged with developing policies for the school, including the school's admission process. While these processes differ from school to school, all applicants are assessed using multiple criteria by trained evaluators who have experience in gifted education and focus area of the specific Academic-Year Governor's School.

Prospective Students
Students interested in applying for admission to SWCGS need to make plans and take advanced courses as early as possible. A number of factors are used to determine candidates for SWVGS. Due to the nature of the advanced academic program at SWVGS, not all students are able to handle the workload involved with being a Governor's School student. Guidance Counselors at the middle schools and high school can assist students and parents with questions about the Governor's School.