School Board Chooses Connected Alexandria High School Network

The Alexandria School Board voted 6-3 Thursday for a connected high school network for the future of the school district. This keeps T.C. Williams at the center of high school education. The choice not selected was a second high school in Alexandria.

With the connected school network endorsement, the board chose to add a major facility on the Minnie Howard campus to serve 1,600 students. School district staff are looking into options at Potomac Yard.

"This decision ensures all students across Alexandria will continue to have access to the wide variety of opportunities T.C. offers now and in the future," said Superintendent Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. in a statement. "The T.C. experience is a gift for our young people that can’t be replicated. We know with one high school, we will be able to ensure all students have access and are fully engaged in a high quality learning environment."

The decision for expanding high school capacity came in light of enrollment projections. Alexandria City Public Schools anticipates 5,000 high school students will be enrolled by 2025, creating a need for additional space.

The current T.C. Williams King Street Campus has a capacity of 2,900 students. A satellite campus for online learning can serve 100, Early College program with Northern Virginia Community College can serve 400. The 1,600 students served by a new Minnie Howard campus facility would cover the difference between the 5,000 projected high school enrollment and capacity at T.C. Williams, satellite campus and NVCC Early College program.

ACPS was limited to considering its own land for future school development. The option of expanding the King Street campus was ruled out because the campus is at "maximum development" and cannot accommodate another 1,600 students.

Over the summer, an Education Design Team of teachers, staff and students looked at educational programming that could be available at a connected high school network or two high schools. An expanded team will reconvene to take a deeper look in light of the school board's decision.

For future updates, visit the ACPS High School Project page.