Planetarium

The Planetarium at Alexandria City High School has been welcoming students to learn about our celestial neighbors for decades.  The current machine has been a fixture here since it was donated by the United States Army in 1985. Students from preschool through high school have benefitted from this resource with shows, tailored and designed by planetarium teachers, targeted specifically for their age group and coursework content.

The ACPS vision for the planetarium is one that respects and expands its role in the schools and community to instill and foster a love for space science. Students visiting the planetarium engage in exploration that encourages natural curiosity about space while dispelling misconceptions that often linger due to the challenge of investigating astronomical concepts in the classroom. The Planetarium is used to support academic instruction and the collaborative work with teachers results in the development of updated academic experiences that support the ACPS 2025 Strategic Plan and the Virginia Science Standards of Learning in grades preK-12.