This list of Fairfax County Public Schools middle schools encompasses public

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

s operated by the

Fairfax County Public Schools The Fairfax County Public Schools system (FCPS) is a school division in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. It is a branch of the Fairfax County government, which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. FCPS's h ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. One middle school, Johnson Middle School, is located in the city of Fairfax. The others are located in incorporated and unincorporated areas in

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...

. Many of the middle schools are named after

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

s, or

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

Carson Middle School

Rachel Carson Middle School is a middle school in Herndon. Carson Middle School is located in Region 1 and feeds into

Oakton High School Oakton High School is a public high school in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in proximity to Vienna, Virginia, in the United States. It is part of Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia. As of the 2023-24 school year, it h ...

. The school serves students in grades 7 and 8.

History

Planning for a new middle school began in 1994 when the Fairfax County School Board when discussions began for land acquisition in western

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 census, it is the most populous county in Virginia, the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington ...

for a middle school site. The school was originally designed to house 1,250 students. On May 14, 1998, the Fairfax County School Board voted to name the school after

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservation movement, conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) are credited with advancing mari ...

, an environmentalist and author.

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

was also one of the finalists as a name for the school. Carson Middle School was first opened on September 8, 1998 with Gail Womble as the first principal. The school's mascot is the panther, which was chosen by the student body.

Administration

The current principal of Rachel Carson Middle School is Donald (Tony) Washington. Before being appointed in 2024, Washington was the principal at Forestville Elementary School from 2019-2024.

Academics

Rachel Carson Middle School is an Advanced Academic Placement (AAP) Center. The school has a wide range of electives to choose from and a large fine and performing arts program. Carson Middle School offers Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese foreign language classes.

Demographics

As of the 2020–21 school year, Carson Middle School has a total of 1,473 students. The school is: * 49.29% Asian * 26% White * 9.1% Hispanic or Latino * 8.55% Black * 7.06% Other

Feeder pattern

Carson Middle School is a magnet school, and feeds into four high schools: Chantilly, Oakton, Westfield, and South Lakes. Elementary schools that feed into RCMS include Oak Hill, Floris, Coates, Crossfield, Navy, McNair, Lees Corner, and Fox Mill.

Cooper Middle School

'
James Fenimore Cooper Middle School
'' is a middle school in McLean. Cooper Middle School is located in Region 1 and feeds into Langley High School. The school serves students in grades 7 and 8.

History

In 1958, Fairfax County began creating intermediate schools to create a smooth transition between elementary and high school. In 1959, Intermediate School #2 was officially named after American writer

James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonial and indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...

. Construction on Cooper Intermediate School began in December 1961, and opened its doors to students on September 4, 1962, as schools in Fairfax County were integrating. The school's inaugural principal was William D. McKinney. In 1990, Cooper Intermediate became Cooper Middle School. The school was renovated in 1968 and is set to be renovated again in 2022. The school's mascot is the Cougar.

Administration

The current principal of Cooper Middle School is Lisa Barrow. Before being appointed principal in 2020, Barrow was the Director of Professional Growth and Career Development in the Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement for Fairfax County Public Schools. She also was the principal of Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, and the assistant principal at both Marshall Road Elementary School and Frost Middle School.

Academics

James Fenimore Cooper Middle School is an Advanced Academic Placement (AAP) Center. Cooper Middle School offers Chinese, Spanish, French, and Japanese foreign language classes.

Demographics

As of the 2023-24 school year, Cooper Middle School has a total of 1076 students. The school is: * 52.35% White * 30.77% Asian * 7.59% Other * 6.73% Hispanic or Latino * 2.56% Black

Feeder pattern

This is the current feeding pattern of Cooper Middle School. Langley High School * James Fenimore Cooper Middle School ** Churchill Road Elementary School ** Colvin Run Elementary School ** Forestville Elementary School ** Great Falls Elementary School ** Spring Hill Elementary School

Franklin Middle School

Benjamin Franklin Middle School is a middle school in

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city ** US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Chantilly (Charlotte neighborhood), North Carolina ...

. Franklin Middle School is located in Region 5 and feeds into Chantilly High School. The school serves students in grades 7 and 8.

History

Franklin Middle School opened in the fall of 1984 as an intermediate school with the theme “We touch the Future Through the Past and Present.” In the 1990s, Franklin Intermediate became Franklin Middle. The school was named for

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

, and their mascot is the falcons.

Academics

Franklin Middle School has been a Governor's School of Educational Excellence since 2007. Franklin Middle School offers Spanish, French, Japanese, and Chinese foreign language classes.

Demographics

As of the 2020–21 school year, Franklin Middle School has a total of 899 students. The school is: * 44.94% White * 26.25% Asian * 14.91% Hispanic or Latino *7.45% Other * 6.45% Black

Feeder pattern

Franklin Middle School feeds into two high schools: Chantilly High School and

Elementary schools that feed into Franklin include Brookfield, Greenbriar East, Lees Corner, and Oak Hill

Frost Middle School

Frost Middle School (Region 5, grades 7–8) is a public school named after the poet

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...

and located southeast of Fairfax. Most students feed into Frost from Fairfax Villa Elementary School, Oak View Elementary School, Olde Creek Elementary School, Little Run Elementary School, Canterbury Woods Elementary School, Wakefield Forest Elementary School, Mantua Elementary School, Annandale Terrace Elementary School, Braddock Elementary School, and North Springfield Elementary School. Not all students from these schools attend Frost. Most students feed into W. T. Woodson High School for grades 9–12, but some feed into

Annandale High School Annandale High School is a State school, public high school in Annandale, Virginia, United States. It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system. The school's student body has been recognized for its high level of racial and cultural ...

Falls Church High School Falls Church High School (FCHS) is a high school located in West Falls Church, Virginia, in unincorporated area, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax County.Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (also known as TJHSST, Thomas Jefferson, or TJ) is a Virginia magnet high school in Fairfax County, Virginia operated by Fairfax County Public Schools. The school occupies the building of t ...

. Frost had 1154 students during the 2015–2016 school year. During the same school year, 12.13% of the student body received free/reduced-priced meals, and 5.03% were classified as having limited English. Frost has a AAP center (FCPS Advanced Academic Program). There are eight teams at Frost: four in the seventh grade (Cavaliers, Voyagers, Endeavor, Travelers) and four in the eighth grade (Atoms, Explorers, Galaxy, Seekers). Travelers, Cavaliers, Galaxy, and Seekers are in the AAP, while Voyagers, Endeavor, Atoms, and Explorers are not. Frost Middle School was recognized with the Governor's Award of Excellence from 2010 through 2017, and with the Virginia Board of Education Distinguished Achievement Award in 2013. In 2013 the school was recognized with the G.O.L.D.E.N. Wellness Award, as well as the Healthier U.S. School Challenge Bronze Award. The Virginia Music Educators' Association awarded Frost Middle School their Blue Ribbon from 2009 through 2017. Frost has been frequently ranked among the best middle schools in Virginia. As with many other middle schools in the area,

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

and

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

classes take a trip to an amusement park, such as

Busch Gardens Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts. The original park is in Tampa, Florida, and the second park is in Williamsburg, Virginia. There were also previously Busch G ...

Kings Dominion Kings Dominion is an amusement park in Doswell, Virginia, United States, north of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond and south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, featuring over 60 rid ...

near the end of the year. Extracurricular activities occur every day, with late buses offered on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Students have the option to stay after school on Fridays, but they must have a ride home. Activities include: * Anime Club * Art Club * Boardgame Club * Book Club * Bridge and Chess Club * CHAT Club * Club Frost * College Partnership * Computer Mod Club * Dance Club * Debate Club * Dumbledore's Army (Harry Potter fan club) * Fashion Club * Frost Follies * Frost Service Club * Game Zone * Intramurals * Legend of Zelda Fan Club * Mathalicious Club * MathCounts *

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN (MUN), is an educational simulation of the United Nations, which teaches students about diplomacy, international relations, global issues, and how the United Nations is run. During a model UN confe ...

(MUN) * Peer mediation *

Peer tutor Peer mentoring is a form of mentorship that usually takes place between a person who has lived through a specific experience (peer mentor) and a person who is new to that experience (the peer mentee). An example would be an experienced student bein ...

ing *

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

Club * Rugby Club *

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad, sometimes abbreviated as SciOly, is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science. The subjects include earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. O ...

* Soccer Club * Student Council Association (SCA) *

Technology Student Association The Technology Student Association (TSA) is a national non-profit Career and technical student organization, career and technical student organization (CTSO) of over 300,000 middle and high school student members engaged in Science, technology, e ...

(TSA) Frost is the site of

Capital One Capital One Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company founded on July 21, 1994, and specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts, headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, with operations primarily in the ...

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization. It was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential ...

Finance Park at Fairfax County. Eighth graders from neighboring schools often take field trips here. In 2007,

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

Justice

Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual an ...

gave a lecture to the Seekers team at Frost. His grandson was a student there at the time. In 2011, Scalia gave another lecture to the Seekers team; his granddaughter was then a student there. In 2019, Frost started construction on an expansion and renovation of the school. It is expected to be completed in Fall-Winter 2023.

Glasgow Middle School

Glasgow Middle School (Region 2, grades 6–8) is part of the

system. It was named for the novelist

Ellen Glasgow Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow (April 22, 1873 – November 21, 1945) was an American novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1942 for her novel In This Our Life (novel), ''In This Our Life''. She published 20 novels, as well as shor ...

. The school's mascot is the panther. The school colors are Blue and Grey. The majority of the students feed into Justice High School in

Falls Church Falls Church City is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is part of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of 2020, it has ...

. A few students feed into other local high schools such as

and

, and each year less than eleven students are offered admission to TJHSST (as of 2021). Students at Glasgow participate in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP), and work towards earning an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma in high school. Glasgow also offers a Spanish Immersion program for students who have participated in an elementary school immersion program. Some students place into Glasgow for the immersion programs. Many students opt to stay after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to participate in extracurricular activities. They participate in various academic teams such as Girls

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

in Math and Science (GEMS),

, and Math Counts. NJHS ( National Junior Honor Society), a service club, is also available, but only for the eighth grade. Various sports and games clubs are available. Students who demonstrate leadership skills and creativity can also run for the Student Government Association (SGA), which decides upcoming events for the school. Elections for representatives take place at the beginning of the year, while elections for officers, such as president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer, take place at the end of the year, for the following year. On January 29, 2008, Glasgow students moved to a new building, built behind the old one. It was originally scheduled to be moved into during winter break, but it was changed until after the second grading quarter ended.

Hayfield Secondary School

Hayfield Secondary School is a secondary school, meaning it serves grades 7 through 12, but the high school and middle school students are generally kept segregated. The middle school has an honors (formally GT) program, and the high school offers both honors and

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

courses. As of the spring of 2007, the number of exams on which a score of 3 or higher was achieved (on a scale of 1–5) rose to 57% from 46% the previous year, the best results found on record for Hayfield.

Herndon Middle School

Herndon Middle School (Region 1, grades 7–8) is in Herndon. It feeds into Herndon High School. The school has eight academic teams. As of the 2018–2019 school year, the school uses an odd-even schedule in which students go to even periods one day and odd the next, making each class 90 minutes. Students can choose from a variety of electives to complement their core classes. The school offers several levels of classes including Honors Geometry, Honors Algebra, French, Spanish, Tech Education ("Shop"), art, and music education. In 1995 the Herndon Middle School Band, under the direction of Noreen Liennemann, won the prestigious Sudler Cup, presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation to honor middle school concert bands that have demonstrated high standards of excellence over a period of years. It was constructed in 1952, and renovations have been made due to the growing population of the community. It includes a historic

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

-era

fallout shelter A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designated to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War. Durin ...

Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School

Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School (Region 2, grades 6–8), also known as Holmes Middle School, is a public school with an

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

address but is outside of the city limits. It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system. It is named after the poet

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (; August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. Grouped among the fireside poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most ...

The current principal is Margaret Barnes. Holmes' 2014–15 student body of 956 was 20.5% African American, 19% White, 20% Asian, 37% Hispanic, and 2.6% other. Holmes Middle School was founded in 1966. In 1991, additional construction was started. In 2004, a new front area of the building was constructed including a new media center, office, and guidance office. That same year, Holmes became a member of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program. North Springfield Elementary School ( Springfield address), Weyanoke Elementary School (Alexandria address), Columbia Elementary School, Parklawn Elementary School and Bren Mar Park Elementary (Alexandria address) feed into Holmes. Holmes' students move on to

in Fairfax County's Annandale community or Edison High School (Alexandria address). A few students attend

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (also known as TJHSST, Thomas Jefferson, or TJ) is a Virginia magnet high school in Fairfax County, Virginia operated by Fairfax County Public Schools. The school occupies the building of t ...

, a magnet school with an Alexandria address.

Langston Hughes Middle School

Langston Hughes Middle School (Region 1, grades 7–8), named for the

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

poet

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

, is a public school in Reston in unincorporated

. The principal is Dr. Herman Mizell. The school was established in 1979 as Langston Hughes Intermediate School and shared a building with South Lakes High School for its first year and part of the second. The mascot is the Hughes Panther, the school colors are navy blue and grey, and the school moto is POWER(Puncual, Ownership, Welcoming, Engaged, and Respectful) The school is built on the same floor plan as Rocky Run Middle School (before Rocky Run was renovated) and feeds into South Lakes High School for grades 9–12. It is an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program school, which is intended to precede South Lakes's IB curriculum, and is also part of the "Model Campus" of South Lakes and Terraset Elementary school. The three schools share the track and fields. Elementary schools that feed into Langston Hughes Middle School are Terraset, Sunrise Valley, Forest Edge, Lake Anne, Dogwood, Hunters Woods, and students transfer from nearby Crossfield, Armstrong, Aldrin, Clearview, Dranesville, Herndon, and Hutchison. In 1998, a student-run prostitution ring was discovered at the middle school, leading to a police investigation. In March, a 13-year-old boy was convicted for organizing a sex-for-hire ring that involved a half dozen of his female classmates. A music video for a song named " Eastside" by

Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer and songwriter. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall ...

, Halsey, and

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal". It also appears as a surname.

released in 2018 with over 500 million views was partially filmed at the Langston Hughes campus, due to Benny Blanco's relations with the school.

Washington Irving Middle School

Washington Irving Middle School is a middle school in Springfield. Irving Middle School is located in Region 4 and feeds into West Springfield High School. The school serves students in grades 7 and 8.

History

In the Fall of 1958, Fairfax County put together a plan to establish intermediate schools. The district planned to open eight by the 1960-61 school year. Early in the intermediate school planning process, it was decided that each school would be named for a famous author or poet. The school was eventually named after

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

in May of 1959. Irving Intermediate School was opened in 1960 as one of the first intermediate schools in Fairfax, with Roy I. Brooks as the first principal. In 1992, all of the intermediate schools in Fairfax were reorganized into middle schools, and Irving Intermediate was renamed Irving Middle.

Administration

The current principal of Irving Middle School is Cynthia Conley. Before her appointment as principal, she was an assistant principal at Freedom High School in

Woodbridge, Virginia Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south of Washington, D.C. Bounded by the Occoquan River, Occoquan and Potomac River, Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the ...

and Irving Middle School. In 2018, she was the 2018 Region 4 Outstanding New Principal for Fairfax County Public Schools.

Academics

Washington Irving Middle School offers the Middle School Immersion Transition Program in German. Irving is also a purple star school.

Demographics

As of the 2024–25 school year, Irving Middle School has a total of 1,221 students. The school is: * 50.86% White * 14.99% Hispanic or Latino * 13.10% Asian * 11.30% Black * 9.75% Other

Feeder pattern

Irving Middle School is in the West Springfield High School Pyramid. West Springfield High School * Washington Irving Middle School ** Cardinal Forest Elementary School ** Hunt Valley Elementary School ** Keene Mill Elementary School ** Orange Hunt Elementary School ** Rolling Valley Elementary School ** West Springfield Elementary School

Luther Jackson Middle School

Luther Jackson Middle School (Region 2, grades 7–8), located southwest of

, is one of 26 public middle schools in the county. It opened in 1954 as

Luther Jackson High School Luther Porter Jackson High School was a secondary school for Black students in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, located at the Annandale- Dunn Loring- Merrifield corridor. A part of Fairfax County Public Schools, it was the county's firs ...

, the first all-black high school in Fairfax County. This gave Virginia African-American students a closer option than schools in Washington, D.C. In 1965, when the county was integrated, the school was designated as Luther Jackson Intermediate School, which eventually changed to Luther Jackson Middle School. The school is named after Dr. Luther Porter Jackson an established historian and educator. The mascot is a tiger and the school colors are red and black/white. The school has transitioned into a GT Center school to reduce overcrowding at Joyce Kilmer Middle School and Robert Frost Middle School. The school converted into an AAP center school. The AAP center was an option for certain students zoned for either Jackson or Thoreau had a choice to go to Jackson Middle School or for the AAP center or Thoreau. In 2018, when redistricting occurred, kids zoned for Jackson Middle School as their base school were moved to Thoreau Middle School as their base school and had the option of still attending Jackson if they wanted the AAP center. As a result, Jackson used to have 3 high school feeders,

Madison High School Madison High School may refer to: * Madison County High School (Alabama), Gurley, Alabama * Madison High School (Idaho), Rexburg, Idaho * Madison Consolidated High School, Madison, Indiana * Madison High School (Kansas), Madison, Kansas * Kentucky: ...

, or

Falls Church High School Falls Church High School (FCHS) is a high school located in West Falls Church, Virginia, in unincorporated area, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax County. grades 7-8) is a City of Fairfax and Fairfax County Public Schools AAP (FCPS Advanced Academics Program) Center-based middle school serving grades 7-8 in Region 5. The school is owned by the City of Fairfax, but implements Fairfax County Public Schools' "educational services, staffing, transportation, and food services." NASA research mathematician

Katherine Johnson Creola Katherine Johnson (; August 26, 1918February 24, 2020) was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights.* During h ...

is the school's namesake. Until 2021, the school was named for American poet and Confederate soldier

Sidney Lanier Sidney Clopton Lanier (February 3, 1842 – September 7, 1881) was an American musician, poet and author. He served in the Confederate States Army as a private, worked on a blockade-running ship for which he was imprisoned (resulting in his catch ...

. KJMS's principal is Chris Smith. Many students who attend KJMS move on to Fairfax High School. It is fed by Willow Springs, Daniels Run, Providence, Colin Powell, Greenbriar East students who do not live in the Greenbriar subdivision, Eagle View, and Mosaic Elementary Schools. The school has eight teams in total; for 7th grade: Patriots, Captains, Spartans and Hokies; and for 8th Grade: Highlanders, Nighthawks, Panthers, and Cavaliers. Each team is named after a Virginia College mascot. KJMS's mascot is the eagle. The school has four orchestras and four band programs.

Francis Scott Key Middle School

Francis Scott Key Middle School (Region 3, grades 7–8) is a public school in Springfield which feeds into John R. Lewis High School. Key's 2014–2015 student body of 887 was 40.92% Hispanic, 24.13% Asian, 17.93% White, 12.85% Black, and 4.17% other. A total of 41% of teachers have a bachelor's degree, 59% have a master's degree, and less than 1% have a doctorate degree. The school has a 96% attendance rate. There are six teams at Key: three in the seventh grade (7A – The Adventurers, 7B – The Bulldogs, 7C – The Champs), and three in the eighth grade.

Joyce Kilmer Middle School

Joyce Kilmer Middle School (Region 2, grades 7–8) is a public school named after the journalist and poet

Joyce Kilmer Alfred Joyce Kilmer (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an American people, American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees (poem), Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection ''Trees and Other Poems'' in ...

. The school feeds into James Madison High School,

, George C. Marshall High School, Langley High School,

McLean High School McLean High School is a public high school within the Fairfax County Public Schools in McLean, Virginia, United States. In 2024, ''U.S. News & World Report'' rated McLean the 218th-best U.S. public high school, and fifth-best in Virginia. Hist ...

, and also (with admission)

. Kilmer has a GT program for students who have been determined to be "Gifted and Talented". The school offers many electives for 7th and 8th graders, including Family And Consumer Sciences (Home EC), Drama, Tech Tools, Inventions and Innovations, Technological Systems, and Advanced Technology Tools. Kilmer is also known for its outstanding band and orchestra program. Under the direction of conductor Sharon Bonneau, the Kilmer Symphonic band has been recognized as one of the best middle school bands in the state. The Kilmer Symphonic Orchestra, led by conductor Elizabeth Fogel and previously led by Marci Swift, has been recognized as one of the best middle school orchestras in the state. The school also has a chorus and string orchestra. The strings program offers violin, viola, cello, and bass. 48% of the teachers have a bachelor's degrees, and 52% have master's degrees. There are 19.5 students per teacher. There is a 97% attendance rate. Kilmer's student body of 1100-1200 as of 2021 is 60% White, 21% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 5% unspecified, 4% Black, and less than 1% Native American.

No contact rule controversy

In June 2007, Kilmer Middle School, a school in the FCPS system, attracted national controversy after a 13-year-old student was reprimanded for putting his arm around his girlfriend during a break. The school had a strict policy of "no physical contact", meaning that contact such as high fives or hugs between friends are not allowed. Despite opposition from some parents and students, and coverage on

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', the school system and the former principal of the school, Deborah Strayhorn, stood behind the rule and refused to rescind it.

Lake Braddock Secondary School

Lake Braddock Secondary School is a combined junior high and high school in

Burke Burke (; ) is a Normans in Ireland, Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (''circa'' 1160–1206) had the surname'' de B ...

administered by Fairfax County Public Schools. It is one of three secondary schools in Fairfax County, the other two being

Hayfield Secondary School Hayfield Secondary School is a secondary school (grades 7–12) in the Fairfax County Public Schools system of Virginia. It opened in 1968 and graduated its first senior class in 1971. History The land on which Hayfield Secondary sits was hist ...

and Robinson Secondary School. Opened in 1973, Lake Braddock has recently completed an extensive renovation project. Its mascot is the bruin bear, and the school colors are purple and gold.

Liberty Middle School

Liberty Middle School (Region 4, grades 7–8) is one of the feeder middle schools for Centreville High School. They are located on the same road, less than two miles apart. The school requires four core classes (Math, Science, History, and English) and P.E. for each student. Students can choose 2–4 electives (2 full year electives or 1 full year and 2 half semester electives or 4 half semester electives). However, some electives are only for a semester or quarter instead of a full year, in which case a student may take more electives. Of 1100+ students (2006–2007), 77% were White, 3% were Black, 13% were Asian, and 7% were Hispanic. The school has eight teams; in 7th grade there are the Patriots, Pride, Navigators, and Explorers; and in 8th grade there are the Rockets, Wizards, Eagles, and Comets.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Middle School

Longfellow Middle School entrance Falls Church VA 2023-12-22 09-14-40

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Middle School (Region 2, grades 7–8), north of

, is a public school named after the poet

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

. The school's mascot is the Lancer. It is a two-story building with two gymnasiums, a cafeteria, and a lecture hall. It also has a small basement and a two-room "mini mod." The school has completed major renovations, including the addition of a new wing. Carole Kihm became principal on May 19, 2008 and was named the 2014 Outstanding Middle School Principal of Virginia by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals. The student body in 2018–2019 had 1848 students and was 27% Asian, 51% White, 12% Hispanic or Latino, 3% Black, and 7% other, with a total student body of 1319 (659 7th graders and 660 8th graders). Elementary schools that feed into Longfellow include Chesterbrook, Haycock, Kent Gardens, Franklin Sherman, and Timberlane. Additionally, some students come from Lemon Road, Westgate, Spring Hill, Colvin Run, and Churchill Road Elementary schools. Most of Longfellow's students go on to enroll at

, but some attend Langley High School, Marshall High School, or (with admission)

. In order to attend Thomas Jefferson, students undergo an application process that begins in students' eighth grade year, as it is a

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. Normally, a student will attend an elementary school, and this also determines the middle school and high school they attend unless they mo ...

. In past years, Longfellow has been a large contributor to the Thomas Jefferson population. Longfellow Middle School offers General Education (standard-level) classes: Science, English, and History—along with more advanced Honors and AA (Advanced Academics) versions of those classes. Longfellow also offers Math 7, Math 7 HN, Math 8, Algebra 1 HN, Geometry HN, and Algebra 2 HN. Longfellow Middle also provides classes for the mentally disabled, and has an entire after-school club devoted to entertaining these students, "Good Buddies". Longfellow Middle also provides electives such as Technology Education (referred to as "Shop" by students), where students learn the basics of using power tools to construct different types of objects; Home Education, where students learn basic home skills like cooking, sewing, and ironing laundry; and Journalism, where students are taught how to create newspaper articles and then publish them in the school's quarterly newspaper, the ''Longfellow Lead''. Longfellow Middle teaches five award-winning bands, Beginner Band, Cadet Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Band. Beginner is a class for beginning musicians and Symphonic is for musicians with at least two years of experience. The Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, and Symphonic Band regularly compete in annual competitions at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Amusement Park and Kings Dominion Amusement Park. At these competitions the musicians play pieces of music while a panel of judges critiques their sound and style. The Longfellow Bands have won several awards in these competitions, and in June 2017 the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, and Symphonic Band received 1st-place accolades at the Busch Gardens competition. At the annual District Assessment, the Longfellow Symphonic band has consistently received a rating of I (Superior). Longfellow's orchestra program is also renowned, with Longfellow's Chamber orchestra winning the Middle School Division at the 2012 National Orchestra Festival in Atlanta in addition to the many awards it has received at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Amusement Park. With 250 students enrolled in an orchestra class in 2018, it is one of the most popular electives at the school, offering places in the Cadet Orchestra (Beginning-Intermediate), String Ensemble (Intermediate), Concert Orchestra (Advanced-Intermediate), Symphonic Orchestra (Intermediate-Advanced), and Chamber Orchestra (Most Advanced). Students must audition for places in each of the intermediate and higher orchestras. The Concert, Symphonic, and Chamber orchestras have regularly received I (Superior) ratings at the District Assessments. In 2018, the Longfellow Chamber Orchestra was invited to perform at the

Midwest Clinic The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference is the world's largest instrumental music education conference, annually drawing approximately 17,000 attendees to Chicago from all 50 states and as many as forty countries. It is he ...

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

as one of only three middle schools worldwide attending that year. It also marked the first time in 12 years that an FCPS (K-12) performing group was invited to the Clinic and 30 years since the last time a string orchestra group was selected to perform. The Longfellow Orchestra program is currently under the direction of Jacqueline Robertson. The school has two gymnasiums, two playing fields, a basketball court, and a quarter mile gravel track, as well as a library, a lecture hall, and a Black Box theater. The extensive list of after-school activities at Longfellow includes Archery, Art/Clay Club, Battle of the Books, Board Game Club, Creative Writing Club, Crochet Club, Debate Club, Dungeons and Dragons, Eco-Action Club, FCA Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Gardening Club, GSA, Harry Potter (book) Club, Heritage Night Club, Homework Club, Kid's Lit Quiz, LMS Writing Center, Maker Club, Math Counts, Math Lab, Model Car Club, Model UN, Puzzle Club, Python Symphony, Quiz Bowl, Rubik's Cube, Science Olympiad, and Video Game Club as of February 2025. The Longfellow Knowledge Masters team has been ranked as one of the top teams in the entire country and has received several first-place awards. The Science Bowl and Quiz Bowl team both took second in 2012 at each respective national tournament, while its History Bowl team won first place. In 2012, Tajin Rogers from Longfellow won the first-ever National History Bee, which was televised. Its Science Olympiad team has won the state tournament 19 times, placing fifth at the national tournament in 2022 and 2023. The school has won many awards in mathematics and science. The school is also nationally ranked for its math department. On March 13, 2008, Margaret Spellings, the

United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activi ...

, visited the school to publish a review of the math education in the United States and to get rid of " fuzzy math". In early 2009, Longfellow Middle School introduced a new academic activity called "Lancer Time," a 23-minute period at the end of the day, intended to give students time to get help from their teachers without having to stay after school. Students can also work on homework and projects from other classes. The period is also used one day a week to teach the students about values such as honesty and leadership, as well as introducing better study habits to help students prepare for their exams. Other classes, as well as hall passing time, were shortened to account for the new period. All Fairfax County Public Schools require students, beginning in third grade, to take an end-of-year exam known as the Standards of Learning test, or SOL, that covers the content learned during the school year. School begins at 7:30 AM and ends at 2:15 PM. Longfellow is one of the top feeder schools into the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), often with 30 or more representatives in the freshman class. Longfellow Middle School has been honored with the Governor's Award for Excellence in Education from 2010 through 2018. The school was also awarded the Virginia Board of Education Excellence Award in 2013. The middle school also has a tradition passed through the student body called "Sevie-Bop Day", where the 8th graders tap incoming 7th graders on the head on the first Friday of the school year. Although, this tradition has been frowned upon by school administration due to violating the FCPS SR&R (Students Rights and Responsibilities) by infringing upon the private space of other students.

Edgar Allan Poe Middle School

Edgar Allan Poe Middle School (Region 2, grades 6–8) is named after author

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

. Its mascot is the raven. Jason Pannutti is the principal. Most students feed into

, Justice High School, or

. Poe's 881 students during the 2014–2015 school year were 49.04% Hispanic, 12.26% White, 24.29% Asian, 12.26% Black, and 2.16% unspecified.
During the same school year, 71.96% of the student body received free/reduced-priced meals and 34.73% were classified as having limited English.

James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School

James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School, the largest school in Virginia, includes a middle school (grades 7–8) and a high school (grades 9–12), was named after

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient James W. Robinson Jr. Robinson opened in September 1971, taking its students from

Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School Carter G. Woodson High School, commonly known as C. G. Woodson High School or simply Woodson, (formerly Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School) is a public high school located in Fairfax County, Virginia, just outside the east end of the city of Fai ...

, West Springfield High School, and Fairfax High School. It was the second of Fairfax County's large "superschools," or secondary schools, which housed grades 7–12. Robinson's chief rival to the east, Lake Braddock, which opened in 1973, was the third of these schools from this era, the first of which was Hayfield, near

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

, which opened in 1969. The most recent addition to the series of secondary schools is South County in Lorton, which opened in 2005, taking its students from former Hayfield territory. With the opening of South County Middle School, the high school has since adopted "South County High School" as its official name.

Rocky Run Middle School

Rocky Run Middle School (Region 5, grades 7–8) accommodates 1316 students as of June 2018. It is named after a creek that runs through the nearby neighborhood. Rocky Run is an AAP (FCPS Advanced Academics Program) middle school fed by Greenbriar East elementary school graduates who live in the Greenbriar subdivision, some Brookfield Elementary School students, Greenbriar West AAP students who live in the Greenbriar subdivision, and Poplar Tree Elementary School graduates.. The school primarily feeds into Chantilly HS. However, some students also attend Centreville, Fairfax, Westfield and Robinson High Schools due in part to "overcapacity" issues at Chantilly High School. Rocky Run Middle School is on the corner of Poplar Tree Road and Stringfellow Road, the latter of which has been recently widened. There are six teams at Rocky Run, three per grade (7th grade teams consists of Platinum, meteors, and Emerald. 8th grade teams consist of Kryptonite, Sapphire, and Tiger's Eye.). In 2018, Fairfax County commenced a $47.6 million renovation of Rocky Run, which temporarily closed several classrooms. To accommodate the temporary displacement, FCPS built a set of trailers called Ramsville, placing them on the back blacktop of the school. Ramsville has since been removed. Ramsville was composed of 7 big trailers with 4 rooms each, 1 smaller trailer with 2 rooms, and a bathroom trailer. This renovation added a two-floor addition and completely revamped the front of the school.

Carl Sandburg Middle School

Carl Sandburg Middle School (Region 3, grades 7–8), named after poet

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg w ...

, is located south of Alexandria. In 1985,

Fort Hunt High School Fort Hunt High School was a public secondary school in Fairfax, Virginia, Fairfax, Virginia, United States, from 1963 until 1985, when it was converted to a middle school. Constructed at a cost of $2.5 million, Fort Hunt High opened its doors at ...

was renamed Carl Sandburg Middle School.

South County Middle School

South County Middle School is located in Lorton. It opened in September 2012 on a 40-acre site as a stand-alone middle school with a capacity of 1,350 students. From 2005 to June 2012, 7th and 8th grade students were enrolled at South County Secondary School (now South County High School), which housed both middle and high school programs. The school mascot is the mustang, and the school colors are green, blue, and burgundy.

Ormond Stone Middle School

Ormond Stone Middle School (Region 5, grades 7–8) is located in

Centreville Centreville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. It had a population of 73,518, making it the most-populous community in Fairfax County as of t ...

. The school is named after astronomer, mathematician, and educator Ormond Stone. Stone opened in opened its doors in 1991. The principal of Stone Middle School is Sonya Williams. She has been in the role since 2022.

Henry David Thoreau Middle School

Henry David Thoreau Middle School (Region 1, grades 7–8), is located east of Vienna. It opened in 1960. Thoreau is a feeder school for James Madison High School, George C. Marshall High School and

. Because of the 2008 redistricting in Fairfax County, some of Thoreau's students (who previously lived in the James Madison High School district) were redistricted to Hughes Middle School and South Lakes High School. In 2018, due to new redistricting, some students were redistricted from Jackson Middle School to Thoreau Middle School. The principal is Teresa Khuluki. Thoreau offers several advanced classes, including French 1, Spanish 1, Algebra 1, and Geometry. Thoreau's electives include Drama, Inventions and Innovations, Computer Solutions, Advanced Computer Solutions, Personal Development, Basic Skills, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Art. Students in both 7th and 8th grade are able to take honors classes for all core classes (foreign language is not included). Spanish and French are options.

Mark Twain Middle School

Mark Twain Middle School (Region 3, grades 7–8), is located south of Alexandria. It feeds into Thomas A. Edison High School. The school has 837 students. The school is named after the writer

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

. Twain students are assigned to teams of approximately 125. Each team is coordinated by the four core teachers (from English, mathematics, science and social studies), a school counselor and an administrator. They are the Highlanders, Patriots, Pirates, Cavaliers, Hokies, Spartans, Panthers, and Lancers. Mark Twain Middle offers the Gifted and Talented program, Special Education program, and ESOL. As of 2024, the school's racial/ethnic breakdown was 13% Asian, 17% black, 32% Hispanic, 30% white, and 8% other.

Walt Whitman Middle School

Walt Whitman Middle School is a middle school in

. Whitman Middle School is located in Region 3 and feeds into Mount Vernon High School. The school serves students in grades 7 and 8.

History

In 1958, Fairfax County began creating intermediate schools to create a smooth transition between elementary and high school. In 1959, Intermediate School #2 was officially named after American poet

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

. Whitman Intermediate was opened on September 5, 1961, on Old Mount Vernon Road. In 1973, The school switched locations with Mount Vernon High School; this remained the school's location until 1985. Due to declining populations in the eastern side of the county, Whitman was closed. After rezoning, Stephen Foster (named for musician

Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour music, parlour and Folk music, folk music during the Romantic music, Romantic period. He wr ...

) Intermediate was renamed Walt Whitman Intermediate in the fall of 1985. The original school existed school's inaugural principal was William D. McKinney. In 1990, Whitman Intermediate became Whitman Middle School.

Administration

The current principal of Whitman Middle School is John Flowers. Before being appointed principal in 2023, Flowers was the principal of the High School Ahead Academy. in the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the ci ...

. He was also the principal at Highland Heights Elementary School in Houston ISD and an assistant principal in Houston ISD and Spring ISD.

Academics

Walt Whitman Middle School is an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) World School. Whitman also has an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. Walt Whitman Middle School offers French, German, and Spanish foreign language classes.

Demographics

As of the 2023-24 school year, Whitman Middle School has a total of 819 students. The school is: * 50.3% Hispanic or Latino * 22.3% Black * 17.2% White * 4.3% Asian * 3.7% Multiple Races * 0.9% American Indian * 0.7% Native Hawaiian

Feeder pattern

This is the current feeding pattern of Whitman Middle School. Mount Vernon High School * Walt Whitman Middle School ** Fort Belvoir Upper School *** Fort Belvoir Primary School ** Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School ** Riverside Elementary School ** Washington Mill Elementary School ** Woodlawn Elementary School ** Woodley Hills Elementary School

References

{{Authority control Fairfax

Middle schools in Virginia Schools in Fairfax County, Virginia