Parents and students express concerns over proposed FCPS boundary changes

Dozens of parents and students in Fairfax County were up early Saturday morning at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church, Virginia to express their concerns over proposed school boundary changes.

This is the first time in about four decades that Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has looked into changing its boundaries across the entire district.

“This process has betrayed our trust,” said parent Stephanie Friel.

“If you approve this proposal I won’t be at the same middle school as my brother when he gets to sixth grade,” said student James Sinclair. “Friendships can be confusing for him, and I won’t be there to defend him.”

In 2024, FCPS adopted a policy that requires a full review of the district’s boundaries every five years. The goal was to address a number of concerns in the district’s schools, including overcrowding, facility renovation timelines, transportation and instructional program locations. This process started back in September of that year.

Earlier this week, the superintendent released a proposal that shows about 2,200 students would be impacted by the changes, including the ones who live in Heather McCain’s neighborhood. She has three children at Chantilly High School, and the changes would send kids in her neighborhood to Westfield High School.

“We’re here today to appeal to the board to really use this time to really look at these individual situations,” she said.

FCPS leaders say the boundary changes would address overcrowding and reduce the amount of split feeder schools. According to the district, there are about 42 schools that feed into multiple middle or high schools, splitting up students as they age. The district wants to ensure students are able to stay in the same schools as their classmates.

McCain hopes the school board will vote to keep boundaries the same.

“We’re a small community,” she said. “We don’t make that much of a difference in the overall numbers, but it makes a huge difference to our kids.”

The school district is holding its next meeting at Luther Jackson Middle School on Tuesday. People who would like to speak must register ahead of time.

The school board is expected to vote on these proposed boundary changes at its meeting on Jan. 22.