Applications For TJHSST Open Today

Press release from Fairfax County Public Schools:

January 28, 2021

Students interested in applying for admission to the Class of 2025 at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) can do so beginning Monday, February 1. The application will be posted on the admissions office web page at 8 a.m. on February 1.

The Fairfax County School Board approved changes to the admissions process on December 18, 2020, that will be used to select the Class of 2025. The new criteria will include a holistic review aimed at improving diversity and access at the school.

Using a holistic review, students will be evaluated on the following:

• Grade point average.
• A portrait sheet asking them to demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate attributes and 21st century skills.
• A STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) problem-solving essay.
• Experience factors, including being economically disadvantaged, an English language learner, a special education student, or a student who is currently attending an underrepresented middle school.

A total of 550 students will be admitted to the Class of 2025. The top 1.5 percent of eighth grade students at each public middle school who meet the minimum evaluation standards will be offered admission.

Eligible students with the strongest evaluated applications will be selected from each middle school up to a predetermined number. Once the minimum numbers have been met—or all applicants from any particular middle school have been accepted—the remaining slots will be offered to the remaining eligible students based on the strongest applications. Students from all participating jurisdictions will be entered into the remaining eligibility pool.

Students applying to TJHSST no longer are required to take the Quant-Q, ACT Aspire Reading and Science tests, provide teacher recommendations, or submit an application fee.

The deadline to apply is Friday, February 26 at 4 p.m.

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This press release was produced by the Fairfax County Public Schools.The views expressed here are the author’s own.