Admissions Policy Change Proposed At Fairfax County Magnet School

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Superintendent Scott Brabrand presented recommendations to the Fairfax County School Board at a work session Tuesday on the admissions policy to improve diversity at Fairfax County's competitive magnet school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

In recent years, changes to the admissions policy aimed at improving diversity did not have a significant impact on demographics of applicants or admitted students. Since 2011, FCPS has hired an outreach specialist to recruit minority students from middle schools across the county and revised the student information sheet, implemented a problem-solving essay, and new tests.

Earlier this year, TJHSST admitted 486 students of 2,539 applicants for the class of 2024. The breakdown of admitted students by demographic group included 355 Asian students, 86 white students, 29 multiracial or "other" students, and 16 Hispanic students. The number of Black students admitted was identified as "too small for reporting," representing 10 or less students. That same "too small for reporting" number for Black students was reflected in the previous year's admission.

According to a presentation to the school board, Asian students represented 56 percent of class of 2024 applicants and 68 percent of semifinalists. Black students represented 6 percent of applicants and 1 percent of semifinalists. Hispanic students made up 8 percent of applicants and 3 percent of semifinalists, while multiracial students made up 6 percent of applicants and semifinalists. In all, 7.2 percent of applicants were economically disadvantaged, and 1.4 percent were semifinalists.

"We have been working to understand why the talent at TJHSST does not reflect the talent in FCPS," said Brabrand. “We believe there has been overreliance upon the current admissions test, which tends to reflect upon the socioeconomic background of test takers or the ability for students to obtain private test preparation instead of students’ true academic potential. This can discourage potential candidates from applying or advancing to the pool of semifinalists."

The current admission policy requires students to have a 3.0 grade point average in core classes, take Algebra 1 in eighth grade, take the admission test, submit teacher recommendation letters, complete a student information sheet, write a problem-solving essay, and meet minimum math and science GPAs. There is also a $100 admission fee.

Brabrand is recommending admission based on merit lottery to remove barriers from students of culturally and ethnically diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The recommendations include eliminating the admissions test and the $100 application fee, raising the core class GPA from 3.0 to 3.5, and developing lottery pathways based on geographic location. The lottery pathways are aimed at providing equitable access for students in FCPS regions and other participating jurisdictions. The proposal calls for a new admissions process in the next admission cycle.

FCPS officials have heard from members of the TJHSST community, including a group of alumni, on their concerns about diversity. Brabrand acknowledged that improving access to underserved students cannot be achieved by the admissions policy alone.

"We need to enhance the pipeline of potential students and enhance wraparound support for all TJ students," said Brabrand.

A town hall about the proposed admissions policy changes will be held on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. It will be available live online, and comments can be submitted to tjcomments@fcps.edu or live during the town hall at 1-800-231-6359.

The school board is required to submit a report on diversity goals and the status of the goals every year by Oct. 1 to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. This year, that submission deadline has been extended until Oct. 9.

TJHSST is the governor’s regional school specializing in math, science, and technology. As an admission-based specialty school in the Fairfax County Public Schools system, it also accepts admission from school districts in Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William counties, and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. TJHSST has often been named the top high school in Virginia and among the top in the nation in U.S. News' annual list. The school typically announces the selection of a new freshman class before the end of each academic year.