This interim report, prepared pursuant to § 22.1-204.4 of the Code of Virginia, presents a statewide baseline assessment of the High School Certified Nurse Aide Training and Certification Program (Program). The Program, administered jointly by the Virginia Department of Education Board of Education and the Virginia Department of Health Professions, establishes an approved pathway for qualified high school students to complete Board-regulated nurse aide training, meet all instructional and clinical requirements, and obtain certification as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) in the Commonwealth. The report fulfills the statutory requirement to provide annual data on student enrollment, Program completion, certification outcomes, and where feasible, employment results for newly credentialed CNAs.

Data contained in this report was collected from the CTE Credential Collection, Master Schedule Collection, and the Student Record Collection, for school year 2025-26. The Data Report - High School Certified Nurse Aide Training and Certification Program SY 2025-26 identifies Virginia CTE Nurse Aide Programs with 3,784 students enrolled across 85 school divisions, demonstrating broad statewide access to regulated health science training. Enrollment patterns reflect substantial regional participation, with the Northern Virginia region leading the Commonwealth at 1,119 students, followed by Central Virginia, Western Virginia, Blue Ridge and Valley, Southwest Virginia, and Tidewater and the Eastern Shore. The credentialing data show 950 CNA exam attempts statewide and 836 successful certifications, yielding an overall pass rate of approximately 88 percent. Credential attainment is distributed across all Superintendent Regions, with the highest numbers occurring in Northern Virginia, Western Virginia, and the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions, and strong performance from both large Governor’s Health Sciences Academies and rural CTE centers, and strong performance from both large Governor’s Health Sciences Academies and rural CTE centers.

Pursuant to § 22.1-204.4, this report must also include, to the extent feasible, data on the employment of students who successfully obtained a CNA certification, including the number employed in the Commonwealth within one year of earning the credential. At present, such employment outcome data is not collected or maintained by the Virginia Department of Health Professions, the Board of Nursing, or the Virginia Department of Education. As a result, statewide employment tracking cannot be completed using existing agency data systems. Individual training programs may collect employment information at the local level, and the Boards recommend encouraging divisions and training providers to develop consistent processes for gathering and reporting these outcomes in future reporting cycles.

The Board of Nursing identified several statewide strategies to strengthen student participation and certification success, including improved communication and outreach to families, expanded middle-school awareness of health science pathways, and deeper partnerships with healthcare employers to enhance clinical placement access and sponsorship opportunities. A further review of statewide Program distribution is recommended to identify underserved regions and expand approved CNA programs where demand and workforce needs are greatest.

Collectively, this initial baseline review demonstrates that Virginia has established a strong foundation for a high-quality, workforce-aligned CNA training pipeline through its CTE system. Continued refinement of statewide coordination, expansion of clinical capacity, targeted supports for students, and improved local employment data collection will strengthen the Program and ensure that high school students across the Commonwealth have equitable access to training that prepares them for immediate entry into the healthcare workforce.