Fairfax County Public and Private Schools

This article delivers information for Fairfax County public and private schools, Fairfax City Public Schools, and Falls Church City Public Schools.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) consist of 29 high schools, 4 secondary schools, 4 alternative high schools, 26 middle schools, 140 elementary schools. The Fairfax County School District is ranked 21 of 129 state public school systems based on Virginia Standards of Learning test scores. With more than 180,000 registered students it is the eleventh largest school system in the nation, and the largest in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. The operating budget of more than $2 Billion is about 53% of the yearly budget for Fairfax County. The FCPS system are divided into 8 clusters, and 24 pyramids. Pyramids are attendance zones of elementary and middle schools which feed into each high school. There are 3 pyramids in each cluster. Each cluster is designed as a community liaison, and each school principal reports directly to the supervising Cluster Assistant Superintendent. The clusters are listed below:

Cluster 1: Herndon, Langley, & McLean Pyramids. Cluster 2: Falls Church, Madison, & Marshall Pyramids. Cluster 3: Annandale, Stuart, & Woodson Pyramids. Cluster 4: Hayfield, Mount Vernon, & West Potomac. Cluster 5: Edison, Lee, & South County. Cluster 6: Lake Braddock, Robinson, & West Springfield. Cluster 7: Centreville, Chantilly, & Fairfax. Cluster 8: Oakton, South Lakes, & Westfield.

Fairfax County Public Schools offer 33 interagency alternative school programs, 28 administrative centers for special programs, 7 special education centers, and 14 computer learning centers. There are 44 FCPS Special Programs including: Advanced Placement Diplomas, Apprenticeships & Career Services, College Partnership Program, College Success Program, Changing Education through the Arts, High School Academies, International Baccalaureate Program, JROTC, Magnet Schools, Middle School After-School Programs, Special Education & Intervention Programs, and World Languages. Other online initiatives of FCPS include library databases, textbooks, and tutors. Students can also access wireless networks for the use of personal electronic devices for classroom assignments. The Wikipedia description of Fairfax County Public Schools is detailed and provides an informative overview of the school system. According to U.S. News and World Report: Best Virginia High Schools (based on college readiness scores), Fairfax County has received honors for the following high schools:

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Alexandria). Ranked #1 in Virginia (#4 nationally).
George C. Marshall High School (Falls Church). Ranked #10 in Virginia (#240 nationally).
McLean High School (McLean) Ranked #6 in Virginia (#122 nationally).
James W. Robinson Secondary School (Fairfax). Ranked #13 in Virginia (#291 nationally).
Langley High School (McLean). Ranked #4 in Virginia (#96 nationally).
T. Woodson High School (Fairfax). Ranked #7 in Virginia (#128 nationally).
James Madison High School (Vienna). Ranked #3 in Virginia (#129 nationally).
Oakton High School (Vienna). Ranked #5 in Virginia (#165 nationally).
Lake Braddock Secondary School (Burke). Ranked #11 in Virginia (#193 nationally).
West Springfield High School (Springfield). Ranked #9 in Virginia (#237 nationally).
Fairfax High School (Fairfax). Ranked #13 in Virginia (#249 nationally).
Chantilly High School (Chantilly). Ranked #16 in Virginia (#345 nationally).
Falls Church High School (Falls Church). Ranked #23 in Virginia (#588 nationally).
Annandale High School (Annandale). Ranked #30 in Virginia (#868 nationally).

Thomas A. Edison High School Fairfax County Virginia Thomas A. Edison High School in Rose Hill (Alexandria) has the International Baccalaureate, and Edison Academy for career skills and technical development. Fairfax County high school curriculums include: Academies & Specialized Programs, Business & Information Technology, Family & Consumer Services, Health & Medical Sciences, Marketing, Technology & Engineering Education, Trade & Industrial Education, and JROTC. Career and technical educational academies: Chantilly High School – Engineering & Scientific Technology, Health & Human Services; Edison High School – International Studies, Business Engineering, Scientific Technology; Fairfax High School – Communications and Fine Arts; Falls Church High School: Health & Human Services; Marshall High School – International Studies, Business Engineering, Scientific Technology; West Potomac High School – Communications, Performing Arts, Health & Human Services. Thomas A. Edison High School is ranked 19th among 28 Fairfax County high schools. It ranks 157th of 322 Virginia public high schools, and the student/teacher ratio is 12th best among Fairfax County high schools at 14.3 to 1 (1,715 students).

All schools in FCPS received full accreditation from the Virginia Department of Education based on the results of Virginia Standard of Learning (SOL) tests results administered during 2012. Accreditation ratings are based on meeting state standards for English, history, math, and science. Visit Fairfax County Public Schools on Facebook for updated news releases and announcements. Click here for other facts and figures about Fairfax County Public Schools.

City of Fairfax Schools consists of Daniels Run Elementary School, Providence Elementary School, Lanier Middle School, and Fairfax High School. Students in the City of Fairfax and Fairfax County attend Fairfax High School for the Academy of Communications and the Arts. This offers students the opportunity to take part in specialized and advanced communications courses including visual and performing arts opportunities. Fairfax High School offers internships, vocational training, languages, and advanced placement courses and honors programs in all academic disciplines. Fairfax City Schools rank 38/348 city school districts in Virginia, and record a 90% attendance rate of graduates at two and four-year colleges and universities.

Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) educates more than 2,200 students in Mount Daniel Elementary School (PK-1), Thomas Jefferson Elementary School (2-4), Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School (5-7), and George Mason High School (8-12). National and state standardized test scores from FCCPS are routinely among the highest scores in all categories. George Mason High School (GMHS) is second in Virginia, and ranked nineteenth in the nation. GMHS has earned a college readiness score of 100% while on-time graduation rates are 97%, and 93% of graduates seek secondary education. Students at GMHS can take part in the International Baccalaureate Program, and receive the following diplomas: (1) Standard Diploma (2) Standard Technical Diploma (3) Advanced Studies Diploma (4) Advanced Technical Diploma. Northern Virginia Magazine cites George Mason High School among the top five in the Northern Virginia Region.