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Fairfax County Public Schools closed in on the end of the academic year with graduations, student honors, new college opportunities and community events, even as the division prepared families for a complicated overhaul of Virginia’s school accountability system.
Superintendent Michelle Reid attended Class of 2025 ceremonies for Marshall, Oakton, Madison, Edison, Mount Vernon, Lake Braddock, Annandale, South County, Hayfield, Justice and Langley during the week leading up to June 9.
Behind the scenes, the FCPS warehouse team coordinated the transportation of band equipment and graduation materials to EagleBank Arena and DAR Constitution Hall. Working with Brook Rentals, the team also supplied chairs for rehearsals and ceremonies, including complete setups at Fairfax and Mount Vernon high schools. In all, the warehouse supported 16 graduation events during the week.
Reid urged the school community to remain mindful that the celebratory season can be stressful for students and families facing financial pressures, academic assessments or graduation requirements. She encouraged staff and families to check on people who may feel isolated as the year ends.
Students earn scholarships and national recognition
Ten students from five FCPS high schools were selected for 2025 Merit Scholarships financed by higher-education institutions.
They were among more than 2,900 National Merit finalists chosen for the awards. Winners were evaluated using their academic records, essays, extracurricular activities, honors, leadership experience, SAT results and recommendations from high school officials.
Two fourth graders at Willow Springs Elementary School also received national recognition. Luciana and Scarlett were named winners in the 2025 ExploraVision competition, placing their team among eight selected nationwide.
Their project, Electro-BUZZ, proposes using artificial intelligence-powered drones to imitate bees and help pollinate crops. The drones would draw power from solar, wind and kinetic energy, while a companion Smart Hive would monitor environmental conditions and seek to improve pollination efficiency.
The students were invited to an awards celebration in Washington on June 13, where they were expected to meet Bill Nye, present their work and showcase the project in House and Senate buildings.
Four other students received Michelle Leete Memorial Scholarships during the Fairfax County NAACP’s 2025 College Day at the Gum Springs Community Center. The scholarship commemorates Leete, a former president of both the Fairfax County NAACP and the Fairfax County Council of PTAs.
One $1,000 scholarship and three awards of $500 each went to:
- Sean Cranford of Woodson High School
- Shanaiya Miller of West Springfield High School
- Daniel Purvis of Chantilly High School
- Alyssa Hughes of West Springfield High School
George Mason direct admission could reach nine more schools
George Mason University’s Direct Admissions program is expected to expand again for the 2025-26 school year.
The initiative began at five high schools for the Class of 2024 and grew to nine schools for the Class of 2025. Its existing partner schools are Annandale, Edison, Fairfax, Falls Church, Herndon, Justice, Lewis, Mount Vernon and West Potomac.
Nine additional schools were proposed for the Class of 2026: Centreville, Chantilly, Hayfield, Lake Braddock, Marshall, South County, South Lakes, Westfield and West Springfield.
The program provides a streamlined admission path for seniors at participating schools who have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average at the end of their junior year. George Mason selects eligible schools using regional data, and the new participants were expected to be confirmed in the following weeks.
FCPS also received new support for career education and student resources. I-66 Express Mobility Partners contributed $21,875 to Educate Fairfax, including $6,875 for 25 Career and Technical Education Summer STEM scholarships.
The remaining $15,000 was provided through the company’s annual sponsorship and will support the FCPS Innovation Fund and Kids in Need program.
Arts programs take the spotlight
FCPS students won awards in 27 categories at the annual gala held by the National Capital Area chapter of the Cappies.
The international Critics and Awards Program originated in FCPS. It trains high school theater and journalism students to review productions at other schools and publish their work in local newspapers. Student critics also help determine the nominees across 42 award categories.
Reid attended and presented at the gala, which featured student singing, dancing and acting.
Writing was also celebrated at Westbriar Elementary School’s first Third Grade Author’s Tea. Every third grader wrote, illustrated and published a book, producing works in genres that included historical fiction, poetry, sports, cooking and mystery.
Families also viewed Benchmark Advance language-arts projects, including animal diaries, biographical essays created in Google Docs, growth portfolios and science writing about weathering and erosion.
The event included refreshments and live music from sixth graders playing classical piano, violin and acoustic guitar. Principal Sallie Burch invited Reid to the program, which was organized by teacher Deborah Alsado with support from Westbriar’s third-grade team and other staff.
The week’s arts events concluded with a student production of “Bye Bye Birdie” at Franklin Middle School.
FCPS considers adding girls flag football
FCPS is exploring whether to add girls flag football to its high school athletic offerings.
Students attended an early Saturday interest clinic at Woodson High School conducted in partnership with the Washington Commanders. Experienced coaches introduced participants to the sport.
The division cited potential college scholarship opportunities and the sport’s scheduled inclusion in the 2028 Olympics as reasons for considering a high school program.
Reid also attended the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s 100th anniversary meeting in Tysons Corner. The gathering highlighted business leaders, introduced a new board chairman and offered networking opportunities, while emphasizing the relationship between education and the regional economy.
Boundary review meetings will return in the fall
FCPS held its final Boundary Review Community Meeting of the school year on Friday.
Participants used a customized Boundary Explorer Tool to examine and visualize potential school-boundary scenarios. Another series of community meetings is planned for the fall, and residents can continue tracking the process through the School Boundary Review newsletter.
New accountability system brings three layers of ratings
Virginia schools will face three distinct forms of performance reporting in fall 2025, creating what FCPS says could be a confusing accountability picture for families.
The term “accreditation” has been repurposed to describe whether a school complies with rules and policies in the Standards of Accreditation. Schools will be labeled “Fully Accredited,” “Conditionally Accredited” or “Accreditation Denied.”
Academic performance will be measured separately through the state’s School Performance and Support Framework. Elementary and middle schools will be evaluated using mastery, readiness and growth, while high schools will be measured in part through graduation outcomes. Schools will receive one of four categories: “Distinguished,” “On-Track,” “Off-Track” or “Needs Intensive Support.”
A third layer is required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Schools will be compared with others serving the same grade levels, based on results for the full student body and individual student groups.
Those comparisons will produce state support designations of “No Identified Needs,” “Student Group Needs” or “School-Level Needs.” The latter two categories correspond to federal designations including Targeted Support and Improvement, Additional Targeted Support and Improvement, and Comprehensive Support and Improvement.
Federal findings can also reduce the academic category a school earns under Virginia’s framework. A school identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement will automatically be placed in “Needs Intensive Support.” A school identified for Targeted or Additional Targeted Support will drop by one performance level.
For example, a middle school rated “On-Track” through its mastery, readiness and growth results would be moved to “Off-Track” if it were identified for Targeted Support because one student group was underperforming.
Although the Virginia Board of Education has identified transparent and clear accountability as a goal, FCPS officials warned that the combination of compliance labels, state academic categories and federal support designations may be difficult to navigate. The division plans to continue explaining the changes alongside its progress toward the goals in the 2023-30 Strategic Plan.