According to the 2011 Youth Data Survey Report, out of 1,000 girls, 54 of them are or have been pregnant.

To break it down, that is nearly three times the state-wide pregnancy rate, which is 18.8 per 1,000 girls.

Those pregnancies do come with a cost. In Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, pregnant teens cost tax-payers $3.5-million.

Rockingham County Public Schools let the community decide its curriculum.

"We are an abstinence based curriculum,” said Nancy Lantz with the Rockingham County Schools. “That is what the community wants, and therefore that is what we teach."

Harrisonburg City Schools follow the state curriculum, which includes prevention as well as abstinence. Superintendent of Harrisonburg City Schools Scott Kizner thinks lack of information is not the issue.

"If mothers aren't having conversations with their daughters and sons, and fathers aren't having conversations with their sons and daughters, then shame on us,” said Kizner. “Shame on us as a community. If we really want to address issues of poverty, want to address issues of graduation and further their education. Then we as a community cannot accept a high teenage pregnancy rate."

The Health Department offers family planning counseling with sliding fees. This means girls with no income can get free contraceptives and exams.

"Yes, abstinence is the number one way to prevent pregnancy, but we have to be realistic here, kids are having sex. The number one way to prevent that, is to come in here and get on birth control," said Erin Morris, Lead Family Planning Nurse with the Harrisonburg Health Department.

Once a teen has a baby, Harrisonburg High School has a program called Project 4-T, where teens can learn how to cope.

"Teen mothers graduating from high school is like 20-percent, so our goal, is to get these girls through school, get them their standard or advanced diploma, and we have a 95-percent graduation rate for the girls that participate in the program," said Kathy Hammond with Project 4-T.

Rockingham Memorial Hospital has a similar program for teen moms, called Hand & Hand, and they are just as successful.

"Girls that might not have come from the best background really rise up, rise to the occasion to being the best mom that they can," said Debbie Bullis with Hand & Hand at RMH.

 Follow Amelia Nahmias on Facebook.

© Copyright 2013 WHSV / Gray Television Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.