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Fairfax County Public Schools began the new school year with strong transportation, technology and academic results, Superintendent Michelle Reid reported in her Sept. 2 weekly update.
By the third day of classes, school buses had achieved a 97% on-time arrival rate. Reid saw the transportation system firsthand during an early-morning ride with driver and Robinson Secondary School alumnus Lucas Champion.
Champion demonstrated the district’s new tablet-based navigation system, which offers real-time routing assistance and student tracking. FCPS is operating the new technology alongside its previous system during the transition.
Champion previously served as a Peace Corps teacher and now drives for schools he attended as a student.
Technology teams also handled heavy demand on the first day of school. The Help Desk received 344 calls, resolving 104 within 15 minutes, while users submitted 1,055 online support tickets.
Internet traffic reached 23.74 gigabits per second at 9:10 a.m., about 16.9% of the district’s 140-gigabit capacity. Minor morning problems with Schoology rosters and student password synchronization were quickly corrected.
The Health and Physical Education team opened its fall training with a video featuring students and teachers discussing the value of those classes. The program emphasized relationships, community and the connections among different aspects of health and wellness.
Schools welcome families back
Back-to-School Night events were held throughout the division. Reid attended gatherings at Cedar Lane School and Rachel Carson Middle School on Monday; Forestville and Spring Hill elementary schools on Tuesday; and Cunningham Park and Stenwood elementary schools on Wednesday.
At Spring Hill, Principal Amy Briggs highlighted student and community murals reflecting the school’s positive climate under its “leading in the light” theme.
Reid also visited Holmes Middle School, led by Principal Serena Giron. There, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Michelle Riegel-Cruz and the Green Hawks have developed an outdoor garden into a hands-on learning space.
Students in Robert Hawkins’ art classes used the garden for creative inspiration, while seventh-grade science students observed monarch butterflies, caterpillars and chrysalises provided by Riegel-Cruz.
Holmes has recorded a 7% increase in math proficiency over the past three years. During visits to Algebra classes taught by Eric Abbott and Janet Whitney, Reid observed students working on problem-solving skills and confidence.
Hawkins, who also serves as Holmes’ web curator, received a demonstration of the new FCPS mobile app. The app is in a soft-launch period and brings together division news, calendars, family resources and lunch menus. Families can follow multiple schools, add events to personal calendars, call attendance lines and reach ParentVUE, Schoology and MySchoolBucks.
Glasgow students take the lead
At Glasgow Middle School, Reid was welcomed by Principal Lisa Barrow, Assistant Principal Jeremy Ferrara and eighth-grade student ambassadors Owen and DeeAnnie.
In Laura Kearns’ classroom, sixth graders enrolled in Algebra I used a flexible instructional block to learn standards and skills they had not previously encountered. Students also discussed how to recognize bias in questions.
A seventh-grade Panther Time class taught by Julie Day and Thomas Leahy focused on Student Rights and Responsibilities. Reid had previously met Day at a job fair while visiting Glasgow’s booth.
Owen told Reid that, as a Belvedere Elementary School student, he had written to her about gun violence and proposed metal detectors as a deterrent. Weapons-detection systems have since been activated in many FCPS schools.
Owen also worked with counselor Emily Wasserman and other students to create a “Panther Pride” sign from cups placed in a fence between Glasgow and its modular classrooms.
DeeAnnie discussed playing the viola with Reid. Their conversation focused on how music and other fine and performing arts can build discipline, patience, creativity, confidence, resilience, collaboration and problem-solving skills.
Algebra enrollment moves beyond target
Reid began Thursday at the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce’s monthly board meeting at the Reston Association Conference Center. She met with leaders from technology, finance, health care, education, real estate, transportation and tourism.
The discussion covered the role of public schools in local economies, progress under the 2023-30 Strategic Plan, future career paths, workforce development and the coming bond referendum. Reid said she plans to attend additional chamber and Rotary club meetings.
At Thursday’s School Board meeting, officials reviewed Algebra Power Up, a three-week summer program for students in grades seven and eight. The program reinforces fundamental math and algebra concepts to prepare participants for Algebra I.
Under Goal 3 of the strategic plan, FCPS wants every student to complete Algebra I successfully by eighth grade. Among rising eighth graders, 74.5% are enrolled in Algebra I or a more advanced course—4.5 percentage points above the current 70% target.
FCPS also exceeds Virginia’s overall rate for eighth graders passing a high school mathematics Standards of Learning test. The division is expanding sixth-grade access to Algebra I during the 2025-26 school year.
The Virginia Department of Education’s 2025 SOL results showed year-over-year improvement for FCPS students in math, science and reading, with the division performing above state averages. The gains came despite updated, more rigorous tests between 2024 and 2025. FCPS planned to release additional details later that week.
Other School Board updates included a fall pilot of girls’ flag football at every FCPS high school in partnership with the Washington Commanders. The sport has expanding scholarship opportunities and is scheduled to make its Olympic debut in 2028.
The division also held its first Military Family Welcome Barbecue at Mount Vernon High School. The Military Family and Youth Advisory Councils organized the event with support from Educate Fairfax, Principal Cary Dimmick and local ROTC leaders. The gathering drew a large turnout.