Do each of Loudoun's and PW's middle schools get a 1.5% allocation to TJHSST?t

[Anonymous]

A doc titled Regulation 3355.16 Special Programs and dated May 2022 (found via FCPS's TJHSST admissions website: https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/CEHHLJ490428/$file/R3355.pdf) states that...

"Each public school within Fairfax County and each cooperating school division will be presumptively allocated a number of seats equal to 1.5% of that school’s 8th grade student population (“Allocated Seats”)."

I'm assuming Loudoun County (LC) and Prince William County (PWC) are both "cooperating school divisions." But elsewhere I've read that LC decides and votes on the number of seats they'll pay for at TJHSST each year for LC's students. If that number is lower than 1.5% of each of LC's middle school's 8th grade population, then that would mean that it would not be possible for TJHSST to accept 1.5% of each LC's middle school's 8th grade population (assuming that at least that many qualify and apply).

I've also heard that the 1.5% allocation is for the entire county of Loudoun, not per school, which would mean that, technically, the entire 1.5% for Loudoun County could come from just one Loudoun County middle school. But that doesn't sound right.

Can someone please help clarify these points? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A doc titled Regulation 3355.16 Special Programs and dated May 2022 (found via FCPS's TJHSST admissions website: https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/CEHHLJ490428/$file/R3355.pdf) states that...

"Each public school within Fairfax County and each cooperating school division will be presumptively allocated a number of seats equal to 1.5% of that school’s 8th grade student population (“Allocated Seats”)."

I'm assuming Loudoun County (LC) and Prince William County (PWC) are both "cooperating school divisions." But elsewhere I've read that LC decides and votes on the number of seats they'll pay for at TJHSST each year for LC's students. If that number is lower than 1.5% of each of LC's middle school's 8th grade population, then that would mean that it would not be possible for TJHSST to accept 1.5% of each LC's middle school's 8th grade population (assuming that at least that many qualify and apply).

I've also heard that the 1.5% allocation is for the entire county of Loudoun, not per school, which would mean that, technically, the entire 1.5% for Loudoun County could come from just one Loudoun County middle school. But that doesn't sound right.

Can someone please help clarify these points? Thanks!

The allocation is indeed by middle school for each of the participating jurisdictions. Loudoun has 17 middle schools at present, and as a general rule they carry 400-450 students per grade level. That would mean that the allocation for each of those schools is about 6 students, or about 102 total allocated seats from Loudoun.

Because of the remoteness of several of those schools (Harmony, Blue Ridge, and Willard come to mind) and minimal interest in TJ from certain areas of Loudoun County, they are not all likely to meet their allocation in each given year. Those seats, if left unfilled, would return to the unallocated pool.

I do believe Loudoun - and all non-FCPS jurisdictions - remain limited by the existing rule that such jurisdictions cannot exceed a certain percentage threshold of seats, determined by the proportion of total 8th graders in the catchment area that are within that jurisdiction. So with an incoming class of 550 students, if Loudoun County had 20% of the 8th graders across all five participating jurisdictions, their limit in a given class would be 110 (I don't know what the actual number is).

[Anonymous]

Prince William County used to send about 12-16 freshmen kids each year about 10 years ago to now sending about 60-70 freshmen kids each year.

[Anonymous]

Prince William is the 2nd largest county so they would not hit the cap until about 120 freshmen per year. They could double the 1st year students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prince William County used to send about 12-16 freshmen kids each year about 10 years ago to now sending about 60-70 freshmen kids each year.

I think they are sending more than 70 per year now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Prince William County used to send about 12-16 freshmen kids each year about 10 years ago to now sending about 60-70 freshmen kids each year.

I think they are sending more than 70 per year now.

Surprising. I don't know anyone who currently sends their student there (last one I knew was over a decade ago.) We live in a neighborhood zoned for Patriot but my high school kid is involved in many activities outside of school that involve kids from many neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Prince William County used to send about 12-16 freshmen kids each year about 10 years ago to now sending about 60-70 freshmen kids each year.

I think they are sending more than 70 per year now.

Surprising. I don't know anyone who currently sends their student there (last one I knew was over a decade ago.) We live in a neighborhood zoned for Patriot but my high school kid is involved in many activities outside of school that involve kids from many neighborhoods.

I think one of the challenges of the new admissions process is that TJ is not universally attractive to families from Prince William due to the commute.

I'm not convinced that the best of the best at those schools are actually applying to TJ. As a staunch supporter of the new admissions process, I have to admit that extending the 1.5% to PW could be something worth revisiting.

[Anonymous]

This is why families are “renting” in PWC and LCPS at certain middle schools starting in 8th grade.

It’s super easy to game this system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why families are “renting” in PWC and LCPS at certain middle schools starting in 8th grade.

It’s super easy to game this system.

Yes, I think PW is sending about 100 new freshmen each year now. As the 2nd most populous county in the area, their cap should be around 180 new freshmen per year based on the population.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at TJ and know many kids from PWC who are making the trip. Most of their commutes are equivalent to Loudon kids. Both are pretty bad though. Not sure we’d do it if it meant that much time on the road. But those kids and their families are committed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why families are “renting” in PWC and LCPS at certain middle schools starting in 8th grade.

It’s super easy to game this system.

Not sure about PWC, but in eastern Loudoun, the competition for TJ is very high. Good luck with that strategy. In Western Loudoun, all kids in DC’s school who were admitted by TJ have been living in Loudoun since elementary.