Schools

5 Things to Know About Fairfax County Schools

School superintendent at Langley this morning

Five things for your back-to-school info backpack this morning:

UPDATE 7:50am. Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack D. Dale and Dranesville school board member Jane Strauss spent about an hour at Langley this morning welcoming teachers and students.

Arriving before daylight, Dale and Strauss joined Langley principal Matthew Ragone and assistant superintendent for Marty K. Smith for a walk around the building.

Find out what's happening in McLeanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's exciting," said Strauss as she watched the hallsway fill with students.

1.Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack D. Dale kicks off the new school year at 6:30 a.m. at Langley High School.

Find out what's happening in McLeanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Why is Dale, who runs the 11th largest school district in the U.S., at Langley in pre-dawn hours? Because Dranesville School Board member Jane Strauss is chair of the school board. Langley is one of five schools around the county on Dale's drop-in list.*

2. Back-To-School Safety Reminders

Fairfax County Police urge drivers to be extra vigilant looking out for pedestrians and bicyclists as county schools resume classes. Police have investigated 112 crashes in school zones so far in 2011.           

Commuters should expect increased congestion throughout the week and build time into their schedules to accommodate for the traditionally heavy time period. Residents may also notice police officers posted in school zones and near bus stops helping ensure pedestrian safety as well as safe loading and unloading of students.

Police remind drivers that when bus lights and stop signs are activated, vehicles must stop in both directions, unless they are separated from the bus by a median. In 2010, officers issued 266 citations for drivers improperly passing school buses. Typically, these infractions occur between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Officers also issued 1,371 summonses for speeding in school zones.

Traffic safety is a high priority for the Fairfax County Police Department. To learn more about traffic safety issues contact Master Police Officer Allie Eggers at 703-280-0563

3. Here is a list of your most important school dates – back to school nights, report cards, holidays, graduation, etc. Perfect to post on the fridge now.

4. You can receive emergency information from your school. Follow your school on Twitter and Facebook. Perfect to post on the fridge now.

5. Back to school by the numbers

An estimated 177,629 students will begin the 2011-12 school year in Fairfax County today. They will join nearly 177 million students attending elementary through college classes this year.

What's New in Fairfax:

  • Full-day kindergarten at all elementary schools. For the first time McLean's elementary schools have full-day kindergarten.
  • Also the entire Fairfax County School Board faces election in November. Many incumbents are not seeking re-election, making the school board races some of the most exciting this year. In McLean, incumbent Jane Strauss faces long-time school advocate Louise Epstein.

Schools: FCPS students attend 138 elementary schools (grades K-6), 19 middle schools (grades 7 and 8), three middle schools (grades 6-8), four secondary schools (grades 7-12), 21 high schools (grades 9-12), seven special education centers, two alternative high schools and 48 alternative programs. 

Three of these schools are magnet schools: Bailey’s Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences, Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences, and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

Money: Fairfax County schools will cost county taxpayers $2.2 billion for the fiscal year that started July 1. School employees received a one percent pay increase and step increases, according to the schools budget.*

Fifty-two percent of the Fairfax county budget goes to the schools. The schools budget also includes $38 million in state funds.

The majority of students in county schools are now minorities, a testament to the sweeping changes to the county's population in the past 40 years. Seventy percent of the folks in the county have no children in the schools. Another testament to the historic population changes.

No Children in School. Why do you care: You are paying for them. McLean property values are higher than average partly because of the great reputation of our schools.

More than 1 in 4 students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. ESOL services are increasing by 16.5 percent, according to the budget.

McLean High School was the highest ranking FCPS school cited by Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews in May 2011 in his annual compilation of the top high schools in the country, based on their ability to challenge average students with Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.

All eligible FCPS high schools appeared on the list of more than 1,900 most challenging U.S. high schools and are in the top seven percent of high schools in the country. (TJHSST is not eligible because its enrollment is selective), according to a press release from the Fairfax schools.

FCPS has six professional technical academies. They are: Chantilly High School Academy – engineering and scientific technology and health and human services; Edison High School Academy – international studies and business and engineering and scientific technology; Fairfax High School Academy – communication arts; Falls Church High School Academy — criminal justice and health and medical sciences; Marshall High School Academy – international studies and business and engineering and scientific technology; and West Potomac High School Academy – communication arts and health and human services.

*Dr. Dale's Itinerary today:

6:30 a.m. — Langley High School, 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean.
8 a.m. — Stuart High School, 3301 Peace Valley Lane, Falls Church.
9 a.m. — Key Middle School, 6402 Franconia Road, Springfield and Key Center, 6404 Franconia Road, Springfield.
10:30 a.m. — Woodlawn Elementary School, 8505 Highland Lane, Alexandria.
11:30 a.m. — Orange Hunt Elementary School, 6820 Sydenstricker Road.

Why Fairfax can't open schools in August?


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here