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Fairfax County Public Schools is closing out 2025 fully accredited, but Superintendent Michelle Reid says maintaining that achievement will require adequate funding as Virginia school divisions contend with outdated state funding formulas.
The budget debate will accelerate in the coming weeks. Virginia’s governor is scheduled to introduce the fiscal year 2026 state budget on December 18. Virtual regional hearings on the proposed 2026-28 biennial budget will begin at 10 a.m. on January 7, and Reid will present her proposed FCPS budget to the School Board on January 22.
Community members are being encouraged to follow the process and offer their views on public-school funding.
Winter break and student resources
FCPS winter break runs from Monday, December 22, 2025, through Friday, January 2, 2026. Classes resume Monday, January 5.
Schools have been asked not to assign homework during the break. Teachers may give long-range projects beforehand, but assignments will not be due immediately after students return.
Families can use FCPS literacy activities to help children practice reading, writing and speaking during the recess. Winter resources also provide information about academic and mental health support, as well as county assistance with food, clothing, housing and other needs.
School will remain open on January 6 and 7, which FCPS has designated as observance days for Three Kings Day/Epiphany and Orthodox Christmas. Events that cannot be made up will not be scheduled on those dates.
Boundary decisions approach
The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee held its final meeting December 12. Reid is expected to present her recommendations for proposed boundary changes to the School Board on January 8.
A public hearing is scheduled for January 10, followed by a board vote on January 22. Attendance boundaries for the planned high school in western Fairfax County are expected to be decided by early June.
The School Board will also meet December 18. A public hearing on the name of the new western high school begins at 6:45 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m. The agenda includes a Strategic Plan Goal 5 report, the fiscal year 2026 midyear review and a boundary-phasing decision.
$200,000 gift boosts medical programs
Falls Church Academy’s Health and Medical Science Program received a $200,000 donation from the Claude Moore Scholars Foundation.
Since 2016, the foundation’s partnership has invested more than $2.19 million in FCPS health and medical sciences programs, supporting Career and Technical Education pathways across Fairfax County.
FCPS high school academies operate within existing schools and offer advanced technical and specialized classes combining academic and career preparation.
AI, language and theater programs spotlight students
Vienna Elementary School has converted part of its library into the Vienna.i.Lab, where students can explore how artificial intelligence works as the technology becomes more influential in education and the workplace.
At Hayfield Secondary School, several AP Japanese students competed in November’s J.LIVE Talk competition, a national TED Talk-style event requiring participants to present complex ideas entirely in Japanese.
Herndon High School’s production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” also received attention through the Cappies program. The review was written by Westfield High School student Mary Campbell. Cappies participants train as critics, attend productions at other schools and write reviews for publication.
January programs for families
The Family Academy will offer January webinars and workshops for parents and guardians, including:
- Co-Parenting: Two Parents, Two Homes, offered in English and Spanish
- The Connected Family: Navigating the Digital World Together
- Loving Solutions
- Parent Project
- Sibshops and SibTeens
Family Resource Center webinars will cover planning for children with special needs, traumatic stress, motivation, and ways to reduce parental stress and anxiety.
Libraries, parks and service-animal guidance
The Fairfax County Park Authority is offering more than 50 seasonal activities, including wagon and train rides and candlelit tours.
Fairfax County Public Library cardholders can borrow Chromebooks, internet hotspots and other materials through the Library of Things. Available items include binoculars, games, artwork, energy-conservation kits, early-literacy tablets, nature backpacks and thermal cameras.
Family History Kits provide a voice recorder, instructions and interview prompts in English, Spanish and Korean.
FCPS also reminded the community that trained service animals are allowed in public areas of its buildings under federal and state law. The animal must perform work or tasks directly connected to a person’s disability; therapy animals generally do not qualify.
Staff members, parents and community members seeking ongoing accommodation for a service animal should coordinate with the Office of Employee Relations at 571-423-3070. Arrangements involving a student should be made through the Office of Special Education Procedural Support at 571-423-4290.