The Fairfax County Public Schools system (FCPS) is a school division in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. It is a branch of the Fairfax County government, which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. FCPS's headquarters is located in the Gatehouse Administration Center in Falls Church, Virginia.

With 188,887 students enrolled as of 2019, FCPS is the largest public school system in Virginia and the 11th-largest school district in the nation. The school division has been led by Division Superintendent Michelle Reid since July 2022.

History

19th century

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The public school system in Fairfax County, Virginia, was created following the end of the Civil War with the adoption by Virginia of the Reconstruction-era state constitution in 1870, which provided for the first time that free public education was a constitutional right. The first superintendent of schools for Fairfax County was Thomas M. Moore, who was sworn in on September 26, 1870. At the time of its creation, the Fairfax County Public Schools system consisted of 41 schools, 28 white, and 13 colored schools.

In 1886, Milton D. Hall was appointed superintendent, and he served for 44 years until his retirement in 1929.

20th century

Fairfax County Schools, like most school systems in the south, schools practiced de jure segregation. There were local elementary schools for black students but no high schools. Although Fairfax was a densely populated area, there were proportionately few black high school students. Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington and Fauquier Counties shared the high school for black students. The school was centrally located between the counties in Manassas. Others attended high schools in Washington, D.C., where many had relatives. Those schools were Armstrong High School, Cardozo High School, Dunbar High School, and Phelps Vocational Center in Washington, D.C.. In 1951 Fairfax County, at the request of residents for a black high school, began construction of the Luther Jackson School. The opening coincided with the Brown decision passed in 1954.

In 1954, FCPS had 42 elementary schools and 6 high schools. That year, the Luther Jackson High School, the first high school for black students, opened in Falls Church.

In 1954, the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education ordered an end to racial segregation. In response, the Commonwealth of Virginia immediately enacted legislation to stop the desegregation process, took control of all the schools in Virginia, and resorted to closing school systems attempting to desegregate. When Arlington County announced an early attempt at a desegregation plan, its school board was fired by the State Board of Education.

In 1955, the Fairfax County School Board renamed a "Committee on Desegregation" as the "Committee on Segregation" after a petition and threat of litigation from a civic group called "Virginia Citizens' Committee for Better Schools".

After the Brown v. Board of Education decision, Daniel Duke, author of Education Empire, wrote: "Whether local school systems such as Fairfax County, left to their own, would have moved forward to implement desegregation in the late fifties will never be known. Richmond removed any possibility of local option..."

It was recognized in court cases that it was the state who was running the show, not the county. The ruling in a 1964 decision stated, "Prior to the Brown decision Fairfax County maintained a dual school system: one for Negro students; one for all other races. Shortly thereafter the placement of all children in the Fairfax County schools was taken from the local School Board and vested in the state Pupil Placement Board. The assignment of students remained with the state Board until the 1961–62 school year, at which time placement responsibilities were reinvested in the local School Board." Fairfax County began their desegregation efforts shortly thereafter.

As early as 1955, it was noted that in the Virginia General Assembly: Delegates from Northern Virginia openly opposed the Stanley Plans and called for even more radical legislation. Virginia's 10th district was the only congressional district to vote against the Gray Plan. Delegate Boatwright also introduced another bill aimed at correcting the unorthodox views of the northern Virginians. Boatwright's legislation would have prohibited certain federal employees from serving on school boards or holding other local offices. The point of this bill, called the "Boatwright Bill", was without a doubt aimed at Northern Virginia and the School Boards. Boatwright said his bill affected all Virginia communities but admitted Northern Virginia was most affected. The reason for the bill was that they felt that Federal Employees were in support of the Federal government's position on integration. The seven-member Fairfax County School Board included four Federal employees.

In Blackwell v. Fairfax County School Board in 1960, black plaintiffs charged that the Fairfax grade-a-year plan was discriminatory and dilatory. Fifteen black children had been refused admission to white schools because they did not fall within the prescribed grades of the School Board's assignment plan. The plaintiffs contended successfully that the speed of desegregation was too slow under the school board's plan. District Judge Albert V. Bryan did not categorically rule out such plans in accepting the plaintiff's argument. Instead, he emphasized that they must be judged according to the community's character. Since the black school population of Fairfax County was less than four percent, Bryan considered the fear of racial friction an unacceptable justification for such a cautious desegregation plan.

The Civil Rights Commission report of 1962 found that "Every sign indicates that the communities in northern Virginia will be the first in the State to reach compliance with the mandate in the School Segregation Cases." Ultimately, Fairfax County was one of the first school systems in the country to be awarded funds to aid with desegregation because of their efforts to implement a desegregated system.

The Fairfax County School Board voted to switch from a 7–5 to a 6–2–4 grade level configuration in 1958, necessitating the creation of what were then called intermediate schools for students in grades 7 and 8. By the time the first eight intermediate schools opened in the Fall of 1960, they were already over their 1000 student capacities.

In the fall of 1960, the first black students were admitted to newly desegregated public schools. Jerald R. Betz and Raynard Wheeler were enrolled at the Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church, and Gwendolyn Brooks was enrolled at Cedar Lane Elementary School in Vienna.

The changeover to the 6–2–4 plan was the last major initiative of Superintendent W. T. Woodson, who retired in 1961, having served 32 years, the second-longest tenure as head of the Fairfax County Public Schools system.

In April 1961, Wilmington, North Carolina Superintendent Earl C. Funderburk was appointed superintendent to replace Woodson.

In 1961, FCPS also began administering the schools in the City of Fairfax.

As early as 1965, Superintendent Funderburk was discussing plans to decentralize FCPS. By 1967, Funderburk had put together a plan for five area offices, each serving a portion of the county and had appointed Woodson High School Principal Robert E. Phipps and West Springfield High School Principal S. John Davis as his first two administrators that December.

Although the school board had endorsed Funderburk's plan, they also hired the consulting firm of Cresap, McCormick & Paget to conduct an audit of the system's management organization and operations. In 1968, based on their consultant's recommendations, the school board put a significantly modified version of the decentralization plan into effect, dividing FCPS into four areas which were, in effect, miniature school systems.

In January of the following year, Funderburk resigned, telling the school board he did not want a third term as superintendent. The school board selected Lawrence M. Watts from the Greece School District in Greece, New York to take the reins of the Fairfax County Public Schools system, which had grown during Funderburk's tenure from 65,000 to 122,000 students, in May 1969.

In May 1970, Watts appointed Taylor M. Williams as the first black high school principal since FCPS had desegregated, placing him in charge of James Madison High School in Vienna.

Watts' appointment of Williams would be one of his final official acts. After less than a year as superintendent, Watts died, aged 44, of a heart attack at his home in Oakton in June 1970. Assistant Superintendent S. Barry Morris was named interim superintendent while the school board sought a replacement to lead the 130,000 student school system.

The board did not have to look far for its new superintendent. In September 1970, Area Superintendent S. John Davis was chosen following a nationwide search to serve the remaining 33 months of Watts' four-year term.

During the mid-1970s, Davis had difficulties dealing with the start of a demographic crash and a population shift. The student population dropped from a high of 145,385 in the 1974–75 school year to an eventual low of 122,646 in 1982–83. Additionally, families migrated from established eastern and central parts of the county to newer developments in the west and south, leading to the unenviable task of Davis having to request the closings of some schools while needing to build entirely new ones elsewhere.

In a 6–5 vote, the school board voted in May 1976 to re-institute textbook rental fees, hoping to raise an additional $1.3 million to close a projected budget shortfall. The plan was scrapped two months later, in July, when the board was able to find a $1.4 million surplus.

In 1978, Fairfax County began countywide enforcement of its 15-year-old standardized six-point letter grading scale, with a ten-point spread at the bottom of the grading range. The grading scale, initially set in 1963, provided that a score of 100–94% was an A, 93–87% a B, 86–80% a C, and 70–79% a D, with any score below 70% an F.

The county school board adopted a $279 million budget in February 1979, which included a 5.15% cost of living raise for the system's teachers and other employees. However, this increase was only slightly more than half of the inflation rate, which was at an annual rate of 9.9% that month, and far short of the 9.4% increase FCPS employees had sought. In April 1979, the Fairfax Education Association, the professional association representing teachers in the county, adopted a work-to-the-rule action, which meant that teachers would not do any work outside of the 7.5 hours per day they were contracted for. Additionally, the FEA gave a vote of no confidence to Superintendent Davis.

The vote of no confidence was considered the main factor in Davis' decision to resign from Fairfax County Public Schools on May 18, 1979, and accept an appointment as Virginia Superintendent of Public Education from Governor John N. Dalton, despite having to take a $5,000 per year pay cut.

After Davis resigned, the Fairfax County School Board appointed Associate School Superintendent William J. Burkholder interim superintendent.

In November 1979, the school board named Orange County, Florida superintendent Lucius Linton Deck, Junior as superintendent following a four-month search. Deck had been a divisive figure during his 6+1⁄2 years in Orange County, with some residents glad to see him go, while others praised him as a strong and professional leader.

Deck inherited the problem of needing to close underused schools that had first plagued Superintendent Davis. 29 elementary schools, mostly in the eastern part of the county, were studied for possible closure, but Deck's recommendation in April 1980 was for eight schools to be closed, five more than the review panel had suggested. The following month, the school board voted to close seven of the eight schools at its May 22, 1980 meeting, a move which was met with angry hisses and boos from parents in attendance.

Fairfax County teachers' work to the rule action, which had begun in April 1979, was finally ended in May 1980.

Superintendent Linton Deck accepted a new four-year contract as Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools in January 1981. Shortly before accepting his new contract, Deck proposed making up a $2.75 million portion of his proposed $395 million 1982 school budget by instituting textbook rental fees for students. Although permitted by Virginia law, the plan, which included charging textbook fees from $22 for elementary school students up to $30 per year for high school students, was scrapped in the face of strong criticism.

Controversy over Deck's handling of an investigation of recruiting violations by the Mount Vernon High School athletic department, his censure by the Fairfax Education Association for a mishandled school closing, unhappiness with his leadership style, which was characterized as "aggressive" and "abrasive", and pressure from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors angry at Deck's proposed budget led to the school board forcing Deck to resign on June 24, 1982, only 1+1⁄2 years into his four-year contract. The board appointed William J. Burkholder as acting superintendent.

At its April 25, 1991 meeting, the school board approved a plan where several intermediate schools in areas of the county with declining enrollments that had for the previous 31 years only served seventh and eighth grades would add sixth graders and become middle schools. Three intermediate schools, Glasgow, Holmes, and Poe, added sixth-grade classes.

In 1993, the four-year-old teacher merit pay was suspended due to budget cuts, and the school board voted to phase the program out completely over the next four years at its March 11 meeting.

Special education

FCPS took over the education of students with mental disabilities from a parent-organized cooperative in 1953. The parents had begun the program in 1950, using whatever space could be found to educate their children, but eventually asked FCPS to take control of the program.

Special education classes for mentally disabled students were expanded in 1955 to four classes for "educable" (those with a mental age above 7) children at Groveton, Lincolnia, Oakton, and Luther Jackson schools, and a class for "trainable" (those with a mental age of less than 6+1⁄2) children at Groveton.

In recent years lawsuits have been brought by parents of students with IEPs and 504 plan against FCPS over reports that FCPS repeatedly violated and failed to provide the necessary resources provided by the student's special education plan provided to students under federal anti discrimination laws ADA and IDEA act.

The number of lawsuits and complaints filed FCPS leading to multiple investigations by The United States Department of Education, the resulting reports from the investigations detailing how many times and how much FCPS has failed students who had IEPs and 504 plans.

21st century

From 1965 to 2006, the county school system was headquartered at 10700 Page Avenue in an unincorporated area of the county surrounded by the City of Fairfax. In 2006, FCPS moved all of its operations from the Burkholder Center and several other school-owned and leased offices to the office building on Gatehouse Road.

The school system has expanded to include over 196 schools and centers, including 22 high schools, three secondary schools, 23 middle schools, and 141 elementary schools. Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) also operates a fleet of over 1520 school buses, which transport 110,000 students daily. They operate on an operating budget of $2.5 billion through numerous funding sources.

FCPS is currently the largest school system in Virginia and the tenth-largest in the United States. It also boasts an average on-time graduation rate of 91.5% and an average SAT score of 1213. The school district uses an electronic visitor management system to control visitors' access at its schools.

Debate over grading policy

Prior to May 2009, Fairfax County Public Schools used a six-point grading scale where 94–100% was an A, 90–93% was a B+, 84–89% was a B, and so on. In 2008, however, a parent group raised concerns about whether the FCPS method of computing grades and applying weights for advanced courses adversely affected FCPS applicants for college admissions, honors program placements, and merit-based scholarship awards.

On January 2, 2009, Superintendent Jack D. Dale announced his decision on the issue, recommending changing the weights of advanced courses but maintaining the six-point grading scale. Dale stated there was no conclusive evidence the six-point grading scale is disadvantageous for the students of FCPS.

Fairfax County Public Schools worked with the parent group to conduct a joint investigation into the issue. On January 22, 2009, the FCPS School Board directed Superintendent Dale to report to it with a new version of the grading scale by March 2009. The board also approved changing the weighting for Honors to 0.5 effective with the 2009–2010 school year and for AP and IB courses to 1.0 retroactively.

After investigation, the Fairfax County School Board approved a modified ten-point scale with pluses and minuses. The new scale went into effect at the beginning of the 2009–10 school year. 93–100% is an A, 90–92% is an A−, 87–89% is a B+, and so on.

Controversy over disciplinary policies

In 2009, Fairfax County Public Schools' disciplinary policies for drug offenses came under community scrutiny after two students committed suicide after being subject to school disciplinary proceedings. Both 17-year-old Josh Anderson of South Lakes High School, who died in 2009, and 15-year-old Nick Stuban of W.T. Woodson High School, who died in 2011, had been suspended from their schools for marijuana-related offenses. The school district also suspended at least one student for possession of her prescription medication.

Although then-Superintendent Jack D. Dale maintained that the disciplinary policy did not constitute "zero tolerance," the suicides nevertheless prompted the school board and the state legislature to revisit school disciplinary policies. After a year-long study, the school board voted to relax punishments for marijuana possession and add parental notification requirements for students facing serious disciplinary sanctions.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

In late 2022 and early 2023, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was investigated by the State Attorney General Jason Miyares for withholding notification from parents that their children were awarded the National Merit Award, which made national headlines. Along with Thomas Jefferson High School being sued for a change made to admissions policy.

Organization

Fairfax County School Board
Type
Type	School Board
Term limits	none
Leadership
Chair	Karl Frisch
Vice Chair	Melanie K. Meren
Structure
Seats	12 – 9 elected by district, 3 "at-large"
Political groups	Majority   Democratic (12) Minority   Republican (0)
Length of term	4 years, renewable
Salary	$48,000 per annum + $2,000 (chair)
Elections
Last election	November 7, 2023
Next election	November 2, 2027

FCPS is led by a superintendent and is overseen by a school board. The current superintendent is Dr. Michelle C. Reid, who began her term on July 1, 2022.

For FCPS administrative and governance purposes, Fairfax County is organized into six geographically based regions (1 through 6). Each region is led by an assistant superintendent, who oversees operations at schools within the region.

School Board

Virginia statutes and the Virginia Board of Education charge the Fairfax County School Board with setting general school policy and establishing guidelines that ensure proper administration and operation of FCPS.

The Fairfax County School Board comprises 12 elected members and one student representative. Nine elected members are chosen from each magisterial district (Braddock, Dranesville, Franconia, Hunter Mill, Mason, Mount Vernon, Providence, Springfield, and Sully). Three additional elected members are chosen "at-large". Members are elected for four-year terms. A student representative, selected for a one-year term by the Student Advisory Council, sits with the board at all public meetings and participates in discussions but does not vote. The board chair is elected to serve for a one-year term, and the current chair Karl Frisch (Providence), has been serving since January 1, 2024.

The current members of the school board are Rachna Sizemore Heizer (Braddock), Robyn A. Lady (Dranesville), Marcia C. St. John-Cunning (Franconia), Melanie K. Meren (Hunter Mill), Ricardy J. Anderson (Mason), Mateo Dunne (Mount Vernon), Karl V. Frisch (Providence), Sandy B. Anderson (Springfield), Seema Dixit (Sully). The other three members, R. Kyle McDaniel, Ryan L. McElveen, and Ilryong Moon, serve as "at-large" members. Rida Karim from W.T. Woodson High School serves as the non-voting student representative.

Schools

High schools

Secondary schools

• Hayfield Secondary School (Hawks) – Alexandria
• Lake Braddock Secondary School (Bruins) – Burke
• Robinson Secondary School (Rams) – Fairfax

Alternative high schools

• Bryant Alternative High School – Alexandria
• Fairfax County Adult High School – Fairfax
• Mountain View Alternative High School – Centreville

Middle schools

Elementary schools

There are 141 elementary schools in Fairfax County:

Special education centers

Interagency alternative schools

Former schools

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• Cedar Lane Elementary School
• Clifton High School
• Clifton Elementary School
• Crouch School House
• Dunn Loring Elementary School
• Green Acres Elementary School (now owned by the City of Fairfax Parks & Recreation)
• James Lee Elementary School (now the James Lee Community Center)
• Lewinsville Elementary School
• Pimmit Hills Elementary School (now the Pimmit Hills Center for Adult Education)
• Pine Ridge Elementary School
• Walnut Hill Elementary School (now the Leis Center)
• Westmore Elementary School

Schools for black children:

• Luther Jackson High School
• Cub Run Colored School
• Eleven Oaks Colored School (torn down, now the site of Eleven Oaks housing development)
• Fort Hunt High School

Transportation

FCPS operates a fleet of over 1,800 school buses. The fleet consists of buses that date from 2001 to 2018. FCPS operates the following bus models:

Transportation is divided into several different offices. Area 1, Area 2, Area 3, and Area 4 are regional offices servicing different regions of the county. Area 1 serves the farthest south, Area 2 serves the central south, Area 3 serves the central north, and Area 4 serves the farthest northern region. A central office oversees all lower offices and a training center. The final office is Routing and Planning, which creates bus routes. Routing and Planning, also known as Area 7, maintains a fleet of vehicles. The white vans and cars from Area 7 transport special needs students to special public and private schools throughout the county.

Three garages service the buses: Alban, Newington, and West Ox.

See also

• List of Fairfax County Public Schools middle schools
• List of school divisions in Virginia