PROJECT OVERVIEW

The High School Project aims to both solve space issues that come with a growing student body and rethink the way we are delivering high school education to future generations of Alexandrians.

Our City is growing and will soon face the challenge of educating up to 5,000 students by 2025. Since the summer of 2018, ACPS has been exploring innovative ways to solve our future capacity issues and at the same time redefine the high school experience to create a high quality, meaningful and applicable education for every student in our community.

This journey has evolved over the year, but our mission to increase the quality of education for each student to ensure their success has not. The School Board will consider the best delivery method for this education this fall. The options include:

1. Building a second high school in Alexandria;
2. Creating a Connected High School Network at T.C. Williams High School;
3. Setting up a hybrid that includes a second distinct high school, from which students from it and T.C. Williams can access district wide programs.

Experts are working with ACPS to access building options, possible land acquisition and costs. At the same time, an Education Design Team, made up of ACPS teachers, staff and students are considering the best educational programming options for each possibility.

Industrial Advisory Boards made up of local business, government and organizations representing four major industries and 16 career clusters will work with the Education Design Team over time to ensure courses of study reflect real world current and future needs. ACPS is hopeful that partnerships and internships will emerge from the relationships forged in this work. Ultimately, we hope to include Higher Education partners as well. Partnerships that involve both industry and University are the best way to deliver learning that supports every kind of student - those on their way to college and those heading into the workforce.

If we do this successfully, we will be not only be redefining the high school experience for ACPS, but also delivering a direction for Alexandria. Our students are the future; their experiences and skills will ultimately define our city.