Article Text
Fairfax County Public Schools entered spring with major student honors, new evidence of reading progress and a packed schedule of school and community events, while county officials continued weighing a budget that provides most of the division’s funding.
FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid reported that three teams and 33 individuals captured Virginia High School League Class 6 championships during the 2025-26 winter season. Three teams and 34 individuals finished as state runners-up. FCPS competitors also won championships in rifle, which is not governed by the VHSL.
Nine FCPS students also earned Grand Prize awards at the 71st annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair. More than 640 students presented approximately 400 high school research projects, which were evaluated by over 250 professionals and representatives from 40 organizations and businesses.
The winning research covered animal science, behavioral science, biomedical engineering, health, environmental science and engineering, sustainable materials and energy, physics and astronomy. One project, “TorSight: Transitioning from Tornado Detection to Prediction through Pre-Tornadic Signatures,” examined ways to move from detecting tornadoes to predicting them.
Grand Prize recipients are eligible for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May. Other participants may advance to the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair in April.
Reid also met with Armaan, a sixth grader at Lorton Station Elementary School, for an “Our Voices, Our Future” video about general relativity, gravitational time dilation, the Einstein field equation and efforts to connect relativity with quantum physics. Principal Francis Legagneur and Advanced Academic Center teacher CasSandra Tynes also appeared in the video.
At Chantilly High School, senior Titus Er received the Harry F. Byrd Jr. Leadership Award, a $30,000 scholarship recognizing leadership, academic performance and community service. Selected through a congressional-district competition, Er is the first Chantilly student to win the award.
County budget talks invite public input
About 70% of the proposed FCPS fiscal year 2027 budget is expected to come from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The board is reviewing the county’s advertised budget and may make changes before adopting it in May.
Residents can comment through the county’s budget survey, public hearings and town halls. Hearings are scheduled for 4 p.m. April 14 and 3 p.m. April 15 and 16. Town halls were also planned in the Braddock, Dranesville and Hunter Mill districts, with additional meetings to be posted as scheduled.
The division’s confidential 2025-26 Family Engagement Survey was open through March 23. Parents and caregivers received individual survey links by email March 9, and FCPS said the results would help it better understand families’ needs and strengthen trust.
FCPS reaches Baldrige milestone
FCPS advanced in its pursuit of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award after submitting a 50-page application. More than a dozen examiners participated in virtual and in-person interviews and visited schools, centers and operational departments to verify strengths and areas for improvement described in the application.
The review began with a kickoff at Willow Oaks featuring community partners, remarks from The Partnership for Excellence and a performance by the Mount Vernon High School Orchestra under director Al Rodriguez. Rodriguez was included in Yamaha’s national “40 Under 40” recognition for 2026.
Examiners evaluated FCPS across leadership, strategy, customers, measurement, workforce, operations and results. The division expects to learn its recognition level in May and receive a formal feedback report in June.
Classroom visits spotlight literacy and early learning
At Hollin Meadows Elementary School, Reid visited a fourth-grade community-building activity, a fifth-grade science review conducted as a graffiti wall and two third-grade classes using Benchmark Advance, FCPS’ new K-6 language arts curriculum. The students practiced comparing and contrasting through an interactive scaffolding strategy.
At Groveton Elementary School, a fifth-grade team used student data to prepare for Standards of Learning tests and identify resources that could help students reflect on their learning during exams. Staff also discussed the school’s Walk to Read program and third-grade efforts to track and celebrate growth. A second-grade multilingual learner group used Project GLAD strategies during a Benchmark Express vocabulary lesson.
At Hybla Valley Elementary School, Reid observed prekindergarten classes led by Ms. Khan and Ms. Bonilla. Students practiced early reading and mathematics through movement and visual activities.
The visits were followed by a March 17 Community Conversation at Glen Forest Elementary School. Participants discussed school boundary changes and transportation, immigration enforcement affecting schools and communities, and special education and Individualized Education Programs.
Additional public conversations were scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 23 at Ravensworth Elementary, April 13 at Belle View Elementary, April 20 at Westgate Elementary and April 22 at Crestwood Elementary.
An employee meeting at Lemon Road Elementary covered grading policy, staffing, the fiscal 2027 budget, mathematics instruction and access to algebra. Two more employee conversations were scheduled for April 7 and 14.
Student leadership and career education honored
Reid welcomed 31 high school juniors to the 26th class of the Fairfax County Youth Leadership Program during a meeting at the Gatehouse Administration Center. The students represented nearly all FCPS high schools.
She also attended a National Center on Education and the Economy webinar examining education systems in Finland, Singapore, Estonia and the United States, then joined a Leadership Greater Washington panel on public education in the Washington region.
Marshall Academy culinary students prepared appetizers for a School Board reception under instructor Sean Appleby. A graduate of the program, Appleby was named the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education’s 2026 New Teacher of the Year.
Theatre reaches thousands of middle school students
During a School Board strategic-plan update, FCPS highlighted its comprehensive middle school theatre program. Approximately 4,500 students are enrolled in theatre courses, while more than 4,000 participate in extracurricular productions, short plays, drama clubs and field trips.
Students described theatre as a place to build confidence, friendships, self-advocacy and new skills. The division said both performance and technical theatre create opportunities for students to contribute, whether or not they appear onstage.
Reading pilot records double-digit improvement
FCPS also presented results from Walk to Read, a pilot intervention for third graders at Early Literacy Project Momentum schools. Students move among classrooms for a targeted 30-minute reading block based on shared instructional needs.
The model uses available staff across each school, assigning teachers with greater reading expertise to students needing the most intensive help. Students below grade level receive targeted instruction, while those at or above grade level receive reteaching or enrichment. Groups become smaller as students’ needs become more significant.
Between fall 2025 and winter 2026, participating early-literacy students recorded double-digit decreases in below-grade-level performance on the third-grade i-Ready assessment. FCPS said improvement in the pilot schools was similar to or faster than progress across the division.
Spring events draw students and families
Newington Forest Elementary School’s annual STEAMOLOGY SPRING STEM Fest offered robotics, coding, chromatography and other science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics activities for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. High school students also helped younger participants with the activities.
At Ossian Hall City Park in Annandale, the Bolivian Carnival brought together students, families, staff and alumni for music, traditional costumes and folkloric dance.
The weekend concluded with the 2026 Fairfax County Spelling Bee at Lake Braddock Secondary School. More than 90 elementary and middle school students from Fairfax County and Alexandria City participated during the 101st year of the National Spelling Bee.