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Fairfax County Public Schools will begin the 2025-26 school year on Monday, Aug. 18, with families being urged to complete registration, health records and other preparations before classes resume.
The division also announced a calendar change: All FCPS schools will close Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, for the special election in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. Gov. Glenn Youngkin selected the date, and the Fairfax County Office of Elections requested the closure because more than half of FCPS schools serve as polling places.
Back-to-school checklist
Families new to FCPS should register their children as soon as possible. Schools are organizing activities such as playdates, screenings, teacher visits and back-to-school nights.
Parents and caregivers should also activate their SIS ParentVUE accounts, which provide access to attendance records, grades and assignments. Phone numbers and email addresses can be updated through the Parent/Guardian section of ParentVUE.
Virginia requires students to have applicable immunizations to attend school. Families should obtain a copy of each child’s immunization record and deliver it to the school’s front office or submit it through ParentVUE.
For school meals, families must provide money for purchases, pack a lunch or apply and qualify for free or reduced-price meal benefits.
Back-to-school night schedules are organized by FCPS regions 1 through 6. A school’s region can be found on its website under “About” and “School Profile.”
Families are also encouraged to bookmark the school-year calendar. A blue “H” identifies days when schools are closed for student holidays. An orange “O” marks religious or cultural observances when classes continue but certain events that cannot be rescheduled may not be held. Pink dates are student holidays and workdays for teachers and staff. Some observances, including Eid al-Fitr, may shift and lead to calendar revisions.
During the school year, FCPS plans to distribute its weekly news update on Wednesdays. Families can also receive information by email and through FCPS and school social-media accounts.
Proposed dates for limited early-release Wednesdays at elementary schools are available through FCPS.
New meals, family resources and volunteer system
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid recently spoke with Tim Jones, the new executive chef for Food and Nutrition Services. Jones said his background in professional kitchens and community food programs shaped his belief that every student should have access to high-quality meals. FCPS has also released a list of new menu items for the coming school year.
Reid shares additional updates through her Weekly Reflections, which families may sign up to receive.
The FCPS Family Academy offers resources, tools, webinars, workshops and programs both online and in person. The program is intended to strengthen cooperation among families, educators and community members in support of students.
A new management platform called Volunteer FCPS will allow students, families and community members to register and search for volunteer opportunities. New and returning volunteers must register through the system, complete an orientation and sign in at a visitor kiosk. Some roles will also require a background check.
Students earn national honors
Three students from three FCPS high schools were selected as winners of 2025 Merit Scholarship awards by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. They join the initial group of 2,900 recipients of college-sponsored awards announced in June.
Online safeguards and student support
FCPS uses Lightspeed Filter to restrict harmful or inappropriate online material in accordance with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act.
Filtering applies to every device using the FCPS network. Division-owned devices remain filtered on other networks as well, including when students use them at home.
Families may request that inappropriate websites be blocked or that needed websites be unblocked. Both forms are available by searching for “Internet Content Filter” in the FCPS Tech Support Portal.
Parents and caregivers will also see a redesigned login screen for applications such as Schoology, with more services adopting the design during the school year. The change is intended to provide a simpler, more consistent and secure experience. Existing FCPS usernames and passwords used for ParentVUE will remain unchanged.
Every FCPS student can use Varsity Tutors at no cost. Available services include weekly live online classes, round-the-clock chat tutoring, essay editing, recorded lessons, practice problems and diagnostic tests.
High school students may also receive free virtual therapy through Hazel Health. Sessions are available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday with therapists who specialize in working with teenagers.
$460 million school bond heads to voters
A $460 million school bond referendum will appear on the general election ballot Tuesday, Nov. 4.
FCPS says voter-approved bonds pay for school construction and renovation over time while seeking to avoid property-tax rate increases. Those expenses do not come from the division’s operating budget, and FCPS warns that renovations would likely stop without bond funding, delaying repairs at numerous schools.
Possible projects are listed in the fiscal year 2026-30 Capital Improvement Program adopted by the School Board in February.