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Fairfax County Public Schools says Special Olympics programming now operates in 49 schools, more than twice the 23 schools participating at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.
The school division characterized the change as a 113% increase. The current group includes 30 elementary schools, four middle schools, 12 high schools and three secondary schools.
FCPS is expanding the programming in partnership with Special Olympics Virginia through the Unified Champion Schools initiative. The program is organized around three components: Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership and Whole School Engagement.
Unified Sports places students with and without disabilities on the same teams to train and compete. FCPS identified basketball, soccer and track among the activities available through its programming.
The youth-leadership component gives students of different abilities roles in planning, advocacy and leadership. Whole School Engagement broadens participation through campaigns and events intended to encourage inclusion and reduce bullying across a school community.
Annandale High School offers one example of how those elements can become part of school life. Unified-sports practices are incorporated into the school day, and the school holds an annual FanQuest basketball game and Inclusion Revolution Week.
“They are truly learning lifelong leadership skills,” Annandale High School Vice Principal Jae Lee said.
The expansion also comes as another Fairfax County school has received national recognition for its work. Bush Hill Elementary School earned a national Unified Champion School Banner in 2026, joining Woodson and Marshall high schools, which received the recognition previously.
The banner recognizes schools that satisfy year-long inclusion standards established by Special Olympics. At Bush Hill, inclusion activities include cross-grade reading buddies, lunch groups, unified basketball and track-and-field events known as Little Feet Meets.
“We’re all one big, happy family and we’re all one community,” the Bush Hill Elementary team said.
FCPS has connected the Unified Champion Schools initiative to Goal 2 of its 2023-30 Strategic Plan. That goal addresses equitable school communities, student health and well-being, and opportunities for student voice.
The division’s stated ambition extends beyond the 49 participating schools. FCPS says its long-term vision is for every school in the division to achieve Unified Champion status, which would allow Fairfax County to become what it calls a Unified Champions Division.
That vision remains an aspiration rather than a detailed implementation commitment. FCPS has not provided a deadline, projected cost or specific rollout plan for bringing Unified Champion status to every school.
The reported growth, participation count and national recognitions were announced in FCPS-controlled publications and were not independently confirmed in the supplied material. The division’s updates also did not include outcome data that would show how the initiative has affected measures such as school climate, student well-being or academic performance.