Article Text
Fairfax County students return to class Monday, August 18, for the 2025-26 school year, but families already have a new calendar change to track: all schools will close Tuesday, September 9, for a special congressional election.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin scheduled the election for the state’s 11th Congressional District. Because more than half of Fairfax County Public Schools buildings serve as polling places, the county elections office requested that the school division consider closing for the day.
Families preparing for the first day should confirm that new students are registered. Schools may hold playdates, screenings, teacher visits and back-to-school nights before classes begin, making early registration important.
Parents and caregivers should also activate their SIS ParentVUE accounts. The system provides access to attendance records, grades and assignments and allows families to update phone numbers and email addresses.
Virginia requires students to have the necessary immunizations before attending school. Families should obtain a copy of each child’s immunization record and deliver it to the school office or submit it through ParentVUE.
Students will need money to buy school meals, a packed lunch or approval for free or reduced-price meal benefits. New menu items are planned for the coming school year under executive chef Tim Jones, whose background includes professional kitchens and community food programs.
Families are encouraged to review the school-year calendar carefully. A blue “H” marks days when schools are closed for students, while an orange “O” identifies religious and cultural observances when classes remain in session but certain events may not be scheduled. Pink dates are student holidays and staff workdays. Some observances, including Eid al-Fitr, may shift and prompt calendar adjustments.
Back-to-school night schedules are organized across six regions. Families unsure of their region can find it through the school profile on their school’s website. Proposed elementary early-release Wednesdays are also available online.
Other resources for the new year include the FCPS Family Academy, which offers tools, webinars, workshops and programs intended to strengthen cooperation among families, educators and the community.
A new system called Volunteer FCPS will let students, parents, caregivers and community members register and search for volunteer opportunities. New and returning volunteers must register, complete an orientation and sign in through a visitor kiosk. Some positions will also require background checks.
Students using the school network will continue to have internet access screened through Lightspeed Filter. Filtering applies to every device connected to the FCPS network and to division-owned devices on other networks, including at home. Families may request that inappropriate sites be blocked or that needed sites be unblocked through forms in the technology support portal.
Parents and caregivers will also see a redesigned login screen for applications such as Schoology, with more services adopting it during the year. Existing FCPS usernames and ParentVUE passwords will remain unchanged.
Academic and mental-health support will remain available at no cost. Varsity Tutors offers students live weekly online classes, round-the-clock chat tutoring, essay editing, recorded lessons, practice problems and diagnostic tests. Hazel Health provides virtual therapy for high school students from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Three students from three Fairfax County high schools were also named recipients of 2025 Merit Scholarship awards. They joined the initial group of 2,900 college-sponsored recipients announced in June.
Looking ahead, voters will decide a $460 million school bond referendum in the Tuesday, November 4, general election. The bonds would finance school construction and renovations over time outside the division’s operating budget. Potential projects appear in the fiscal 2026-30 Capital Improvement Program adopted by the School Board in February. Officials say renovations would likely stall without the funding, delaying repairs at multiple schools.