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For the first time in four decades, the Fairfax County School Board has redrawn school boundaries across the county, approving the changes in an 8-3 vote on Jan. 22.
The overhaul is intended to reduce overcrowding and address split feeders, where students from one school advance to multiple higher-level schools, as well as attendance islands located outside a school’s main boundary.
In the McLean area, about 200 students living in Tysons are expected to be reassigned from McLean High School to Langley High School. The shift would lower McLean’s capacity utilization from 109% to 100% while raising Langley’s from 94% to 102%.
Some students say transferring would mean leaving behind friends, activities and established routines.
“I’d stay at McLean [despite the boundary change],” freshman Aspen Anderson said. “Adjusting to a new environment and leaving my friends behind would be hard, and I’ve already joined lots of clubs and sports here.”
Anderson said a ride from her parents—and eventually getting her own driver’s license—could make remaining at McLean possible.
Communities push back
The plan has drawn opposition from students and families who say the latest boundaries create some of the same split feeders and attendance islands that the review was supposed to eliminate.
Justice High School junior Odessa Jansen said separating students in the close-knit Beechtree neighborhood would make it harder for friends to remain connected.
In response to such concerns, the county plans to adjust portions of the proposal for some of the most affected communities. At-large School Board member Ryan McElveen, who voted against the plan, said between five and 10 communities will undergo additional boundary processes and be presented with different scenarios.
McElveen said one potentially affected community sits near the Falls Church border and currently feeds into McLean.
Transportation and sports remain unresolved
Transportation is another major concern for students who choose to remain at their current schools. FCPS estimates that reshaping bus service around the boundary changes would require 57 additional drivers and buses. The projected costs are $4.6 million for the drivers and $5.9 million for the buses.
In December 2025, the School Board rejected a proposal that would have linked new transportation routes to the redistricting plan, citing concerns about equitable access.
McElveen said the school system’s policy requires it to cover student transportation. One less expensive possibility under consideration would establish central community pickup locations for students traveling to their previously assigned schools, avoiding the need to operate duplicate routes throughout the county.
Athletic eligibility could also complicate decisions for students who remain at their current schools. Under Virginia High School League rules, those students would be unable to participate in sports for one year after the boundary changes are completed.
International Baccalaureate programs are not currently recognized by Virginia as special programs that would permit students to play sports at their destination schools, McElveen said. He added that county officials are working with the state to preserve athletic access for those students.
Reviews could become a recurring struggle
FCPS Policy 8130, adopted in late 2025, requires the county to review school boundaries every five years. That means some of the newly approved assignments could face further examination in coming years.
The recurring reviews could also require the county to devote substantial resources to multiple studies at once.
“We’re going to have a situation where we have five to 10 studies going on [at a time],” McElveen said. “This has become a perpetual study, which I don’t think anyone wanted or asked for.”