Anonymous
01/14/2026 12:38
Subject: Re:Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:My understanding is yes. The only people identified to be working at Western right now are department chairs. The due date for the forms is end of the week, and then the schools should know some information. It feels late in the game on all of this.
Am I the only one who feels like Reid is throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks?
Anonymous
01/14/2026 12:27
Subject: Re:Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
My understanding is yes. The only people identified to be working at Western right now are department chairs. The due date for the forms is end of the week, and then the schools should know some information. It feels late in the game on all of this.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 12:25
Subject: Re:Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:PP here, I think I need to be more clear.
we opted in to Western but our child will be doing course selection for his base school. He won’t be doing course selection for Western. I think the reason for that is that western doesn’t have a staff yet, so there is no one to meet with the kids and plan courses, and because there is the possibility that some kids will not end up at Western. Having the kids select courses at their base school makes sure that they are included in that schools process.
Doesn't this cause some turmoil in planning for the base schools, though? Like if a significant number of kids choose Western instead of their base, won't it result in potential destaffing?
Anonymous
01/14/2026 12:02
Subject: Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Was anyone at the South Lakes PTA event that I think was held last night by Meren? Did she say anything about Western boundaries?
Anonymous
01/14/2026 07:31
Subject: Re:Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:It was crystal clear which of the options was the best for the community and the system as a whole. If they had delayed the comprehensive boundary study and drawn Western first, it would have been much better.
Who knows what they have in mind. I'm a little suspicious that it will have boundaries, but they won't be logical.
The boundaries won’t be logical because FCPS refuses to draw boundaries without listening to the people who complain the most. if it is true that the Crossfield PTO has been meeting with Reid and Gatehouse, then the boundaries are not going to make sense. I understand parents wanting to stay at Oakton, it is a great school, but Crossfield is closer to Western and should move there. It probably won’t because a group of parents is very active in preventing that from happening.
The E map, which I don’t believe was real, looked ridiculous. The map removed Crossfield and Fox Mill but kept Floris which led to this weird looking amoeba looking zone with a very obvious gap that appeased the Crossfield parents and Meren wanting to keep Fox Mill at SLHS. It was a visual demonstration of the stupidity of the process.
Either Crossfield or Fox Mill needs to be at Western. Both make sense but space says it needs to be one or the other.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 06:44
Subject: Re:Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
It was crystal clear which of the options was the best for the community and the system as a whole. If they had delayed the comprehensive boundary study and drawn Western first, it would have been much better.
Who knows what they have in mind. I'm a little suspicious that it will have boundaries, but they won't be logical.
Who knows what they have in mind. I'm a little suspicious that it will have boundaries, but they won't be logical.
Anonymous
01/14/2026 06:29
Subject: Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:Here is one exciting thing, they are building the classes and pathways based on the incoming students interests. That is pretty cool. They said they are going to dig deep into what the opt in kids want on their registrations and then contact them to confirm and those will be the classes they offer.
I talked to the gentlemen fielding athletics/after school activities at the Open House and told him the clubs that I know my kid is intereted in. He specifically said it is important to know what clubs kids are already doing in MS so they can be focused on having those available as soon as school starts.
FCPS as a whole has mucked up the boundaries and start and all of that but the staff supporting the new school has been amazing. You can see how hard they are working and how excited they are. they know it is more of a sell job right now because of all the uncertainty. Their energy is infectious. The process has been a cluster but the kids we know who opted in are excited, some of the parents are very concerned but the kids we know are excited.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 21:32
Subject: Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Here is one exciting thing, they are building the classes and pathways based on the incoming students interests. That is pretty cool. They said they are going to dig deep into what the opt in kids want on their registrations and then contact them to confirm and those will be the classes they offer.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 19:52
Subject: Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So when are they going to decide who to attend for this year in case more than 500 kids opt in?
The FAQ page used to say that the priority would be given to families in boundary per draft options. That language is gone.
Is it going to be a completely random lottery?
The draft boundary option language was removed because they are going to start from scratch.
The four draft boundary options for western high school that were presented at the first open house and posted online were preliminary concepts intended to explore a geographically based boundary.
The western high school boundary analysis has been paused pending School Board approval of the current comprehensive boundary study. Once approved, staff plans to begin the new high school’s boundary analysis in February and will develop new options from the ground up.
Just when you think......
Anonymous
01/13/2026 19:44
Subject: Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:So when are they going to decide who to attend for this year in case more than 500 kids opt in?
The FAQ page used to say that the priority would be given to families in boundary per draft options. That language is gone.
Is it going to be a completely random lottery?
The draft boundary option language was removed because they are going to start from scratch.
The four draft boundary options for western high school that were presented at the first open house and posted online were preliminary concepts intended to explore a geographically based boundary.
The western high school boundary analysis has been paused pending School Board approval of the current comprehensive boundary study. Once approved, staff plans to begin the new high school’s boundary analysis in February and will develop new options from the ground up.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 18:57
Subject: Re:Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
PP here, I think I need to be more clear.
we opted in to Western but our child will be doing course selection for his base school. He won’t be doing course selection for Western. I think the reason for that is that western doesn’t have a staff yet, so there is no one to meet with the kids and plan courses, and because there is the possibility that some kids will not end up at Western. Having the kids select courses at their base school makes sure that they are included in that schools process.
we opted in to Western but our child will be doing course selection for his base school. He won’t be doing course selection for Western. I think the reason for that is that western doesn’t have a staff yet, so there is no one to meet with the kids and plan courses, and because there is the possibility that some kids will not end up at Western. Having the kids select courses at their base school makes sure that they are included in that schools process.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 18:36
Subject: Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So when are they going to decide who to attend for this year in case more than 500 kids opt in?
The FAQ page used to say that the priority would be given to families in boundary per draft options. That language is gone.
Is it going to be a completely random lottery?
They said that the people who are from the schools that could be in boundary will have priority over other students. The schools on the list of possible moves are Oak Hill, Coates, McNair, Flores, Crossfield, and Fox Mill. I might have missed one but I think those are the schools listed on the four boundary maps.
After that, I am not sure how they are going to set the priority because they are not setting the boundaries until June. I think that is why kids are registering with their base HSs and not Western.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 15:44
Subject: Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:So when are they going to decide who to attend for this year in case more than 500 kids opt in?
The FAQ page used to say that the priority would be given to families in boundary per draft options. That language is gone.
Is it going to be a completely random lottery?
They said that the people who are from the schools that could be in boundary will have priority over other students. The schools on the list of possible moves are Oak Hill, Coates, McNair, Flores, Crossfield, and Fox Mill. I might have missed one but I think those are the schools listed on the four boundary maps.
After that, I am not sure how they are going to set the priority because they are not setting the boundaries until June. I think that is why kids are registering with their base HSs and not Western.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 13:46
Subject: Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
So when are they going to decide who to attend for this year in case more than 500 kids opt in?
The FAQ page used to say that the priority would be given to families in boundary per draft options. That language is gone.
Is it going to be a completely random lottery?
The FAQ page used to say that the priority would be given to families in boundary per draft options. That language is gone.
Is it going to be a completely random lottery?
Anonymous
01/13/2026 13:35
Subject: Re:Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would set the boundaries midway through the renovation when a capacity is set in design and programs.
I honestly can’t comprehend this process and the school boards blatant lack of transparency and brainwashing of us in Western Fairfax.
I would have set the boundaries this month with all the rest to make it easier on parents and kids to decide. Doesn't matter what either of us would do, boundaries will be set in June - for a traditional high school. It has already been decided.
Yes.
To be exact, a comprehensive high school with a traditional boundaries that features special programming pathways.
It is also decided that the school will open this fall.
To be decided are the scope and magnitude of special programs and the boundary.
They will start the enrollment analsys soon. I expect they will use the opt-in data for the boundary and possibly for the magnitude of special programs.