What changes could come as Fairfax Co. reviews school boundaries?

Fairfax County has been working on its first comprehensive boundary review in decades, with changes expected to impact fewer than 2,000 students.

The Northern Virginia district has made smaller-scale boundary changes in the past. But division leaders expect the proposed shifts to address overcrowded campuses.

For months, Superintendent Michelle Reid has met with families and community members. Some have expressed frustration at the impact of the changes. Others are worried the adjustments don’t go far enough.

“It’s a big undertaking, and it would have been better to do it area by area,” said Stephanie Friel, a parent of two Fairfax County students at Justice High and Glasgow Middle.

“But that’s what they decided to do.”

Reid’s recommended option would impact 1,697 students, which is lower than the 2,210 who were slated to be affected under her original proposal.

According to school board documents, the changes would eliminate or reduce seven elementary to middle school split feeders and eight elementary to high school split feeders. A school is a split feeder when its students attend the same elementary campus but then go to different middle or high schools.

Similarly, the plan would eliminate or reduce five school attendance islands — geographic areas assigned to a school even though they aren’t directly connected to that school’s boundary.

“No one wants to move kids, and so none of us are in the position where we want to move kids,” Board Chair Sandy Anderson told WTOP.

At a Jan. 10 public hearing, Carolynn Moore expressed frustration with overcrowded schools that use modular classrooms, which “pose a serious safety issue. Imagine the worst case scenario, an active shooter. There is no protection in a trailer.”

“Make these boundary adjustments,” Moore told the board. “But don’t stop there.”

The school board is expected to approve the changes at its meeting Thursday. A final public hearing on the proposal is scheduled before the vote.

Here’s what to know about the recommended boundary adjustments.

Proposed Elementary School Changes

• Reassigns 48 students from Rolling Valley Elementary to Saratoga Elementary. The change decreases Rolling Valley’s capacity to 90%.
• Reassigns 53 kids from Olde Creek to Laurel Ridge, decreasing Olde Creek’s capacity from 92% to 79%. The shift would eliminate split feeders and an attendance island.
• Reassigns fewer than 10 students from Westbriar Elementary to Colvin Run. The move would eliminate a split feeder at the middle school level.
• Reassigns 19 elementary students from Fort Belvoir Primary Elementary and Fort Belvoir Upper Elementary to Washington Mill.
• Reassigns 35 kids from Riverside to Stratford Landing and 76 from Riverside to Woodlawn. Riverside’s capacity would decrease from 93% to 79%.
• Reassigns 108 kids from Coates to McNair and McNair Upper; 190 from Coates to Herndon; 65 from Coates to Floris. The move would eliminate a split feeder.
• Reassigns 78 kids from Parklawn to Belvedere and 20 from Parklawn to Columbia.
• Reassigns 107 kids from Fort Hunt to Mount Vernon Woods, eliminating an attendance island.
• Reassigns 58 kids from Groveton Elementary to Hybla Valley Elementary, eliminating an attendance island.
• A change that doesn’t impact any current elementary students would reassign a boundary from Hollin Meadows to Stratford Landing.

Proposed Middle School Changes

• Reassigns 23 students from Katherine Johnson Middle to Rocky Run Middle, decreasing Katherine Johnson’s capacity to 101%.
• Reassigns 172 middle schoolers from Kilmer to Thoreau, eliminating a split feeder and decreasing Kilmer’s capacity from 118% to 101%.
• Reassigns 107 kids from Longfellow to Cooper. Eliminates a split feeder and attendance island.
• Reassigns 27 kids from Glasgow to Poe, decreasing Glasgow’s capacity from 102% to 94%.
• Reassigns 32 middle schoolers from Sandburg to Whitman.
• Reassigns fewer than 10 middle schoolers from Franklin to Rocky Run.

Proposed High School Changes

• Reassigns 45 students from Fairfax High to Chantilly High, decreasing Fairfax High’s capacity to 97%.
• Reassigns 128 high schoolers from Marshall to Madison, eliminating split feeders and decreasing Marshall’s capacity from 97% to 91%.
• Reassigns 201 high schoolers from McLean to Langley, eliminating a split feeder and attendance island. Decreases McLean capacity from 109% to 100%.
• Reassigns 46 kids from Justice to Falls Church, eliminating a split feeder.
• Reassigns 54 kids from West Potomac to Mount Vernon.

Moving Forward

According to school board documents, Reid is planning for a series of recommended changes by January 2027 to several areas:

• Gunston, Halley, Laurel Hill, and Lorton Station Elementary neighborhoods
• Bren Mar Park Elementary middle and high school feeders
• Greenway Downs, Jefferson Village, City Park Homes and Kingsley Commons neighborhoods in Falls Church
• Rolling Valley Elementary middle school and high school feeders
• Keene Mill Elementary attendance island and nearby schools, including Cardinal Forest and White Oaks elementary
• Glasgow Middle changes tied to Beech Tree and Belvedere Elementary areas

More details are available online.

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