D.C. students made small gains in reading last year, but math results haven’t yet reached prepandemic levels, according to new citywide standardized test data released Thursday.

At a news briefing, District education officials shared results from the D.C. CAPE standardized test. The assessment is given to third through 12th grade students in English, language arts and mathematics in the spring. It assigns students a level between one and five. Students scoring Level 1 didn’t yet meet expectations, and Level 5 is defined as exceeding expectations. Scores of Level 4 or 5 are considered proficient and on grade level.

Across the city, there was a 2% increase in ELA proficiency and a 2.1% bump in math proficiency, compared with the 2025 results. About 39.6% of students were considered on grade level in reading in the spring, the highest proficiency the city has reported since 2015. About 28.5% were proficient in math.

Officials attribute several years of improving scores to investments in high-impact tutoring programs, teacher training materials and a focus on students adjusting during their first year of middle or high school. But while the city has surpassed its reading scores from before the pandemic, it hasn’t yet reached that level in math.

“We are encouraged, but not yet satisfied,” D.C.’s State Superintendent of Education Antoinette Mitchell said. “We have more work to do.”

Based on last year’s test data, eighth graders showed the greatest growth in reading, with a 5.7% increase in proficiency. Fourth grade scores fell 0.4% and high school scores fell 1% compared with 2025.

In math, meanwhile, third grade scores showed the most growth, increasing 6.8%. High school math scores fell 0.2% and sixth through eighth graders showed modest improvement.

Still, reading and math proficiency rates have increased every year since 2022.

“The pandemic was a huge disruption to our system, and teachers and students and families have been working very hard,” Mitchell said. “That is continuing to happen. I also want to say that our test scores, while very important, are not the only things that we have to talk about when it comes to postpandemic education.”

Over 4,700 students had access to high-impact tutoring in reading and math last year, the city said, emphasizing the value of the intervention that focuses on small-group or individual assistance.

In reading, students who participate in at least 20 hours of high-impact tutoring are better positioned to see “more favorable assessment score changes across grade bands,” according to city documents. Kids who have access to the tutoring programs are also more likely to attend class regularly.

But absenteeism and chronic truancy remain challenges, Mitchell said. The city has received a grant that involves a partnership for schools as it relates to attendance. It’s scheduled to begin in September. High schoolers have also been drawn to the city’s career and technical education offerings, Mitchell said.

Students with disabilities, those considered economically disadvantaged and English language learners all showed improvement in reading and math in 2026. Math proficiency increased across every ward in the city. Reading proficiency increased in every ward, except for Ward 2, where it fell 1.3%.

Among D.C. Public Schools specifically, interim Chancellor Kim Jackson said 86 schools improved their math proficiency rate and 64 improved reading proficiency in 2026. Jackson touted dyslexia screeners, subject materials and academies that help sixth and ninth graders get acclimated to new campuses.

D.C.’s Public Charter Schools reported a 2.6% boost in reading proficiency and a 1.5% spike in math proficiency.

Residency model helping Friendship Ideal Middle students take strides

Alise Webb was a resident teacher at Ideal Middle in Northwest D.C. in 2024-25, and then became an eighth grade reading teacher last year, enabling her to continue working with the same group of students.

When they were in seventh grade, the group was 42.9% proficient in reading. As eighth graders, that metric reached 76.9%. None of Webb’s students finished the year below grade level.

During the first year, “it was a really intense journey of becoming comfortable in front of a group of students,” Webb said.

But in October, it became clear to Webb that her students were understanding what they were reading and what she was saying. She was reading a writing prompt, and breaking down how to construct a thesis. The students told her they fully understood what she was saying.

“From there, I became more confident,” Webb said. “In turn, they started to become more confident as well.”

Often, Webb said she focuses on five students a week, evaluating their writing to better understand individual and group discrepancies. She was able to offer authentic feedback and grade them on a rubric, and she extended the exercise to having the class evaluate anonymous writing samples from one of their classmates.

The school offers math tutoring after school, and for Webb, “individualized tutoring is more so looking like intervention built into the actual school day,” she said.

Separately, fifth and sixth grade math teacher Everton Nelson has helped his students make significant strides, even as citywide data hasn’t yet reached prepandemic levels.

He followed the same kids across two academic years, and they gained 9.8 points in math. Nelson’s students experiencing homelessness reached 40% proficiency, which the city said is more than three times the city figure for that group.

“Once we get the students to buy in, then they feel self-worth,” Nelson said. “They think, ‘Oh yes, I can do it. I’m going to try.’ We allow math to become not just something we see on paper, not just abstract. We want them to see that math is real world, real life.”

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In the weeks leading up to the start of the new school year, leadership at Skyview High School held “come in unity” events.

The goal, Principal Dave Jagels said, was to generate ideas from students and their families about traditions they may want to adopt. Because it is Fairfax County, Virginia’s first new high school in decades, they’re starting from scratch.

The homecoming dance will be its first, and the marching band, chorus and orchestra programs have just a few dozen students.

The chance to create something new is what drove Jagels, entering his 33rd year in education, to leave retirement to lead the new school. Days before the formal ribbon-cutting, scheduled for Thursday, signage was still being installed outside and on interior walls, and furniture was still being arranged.

On Monday, the Herndon campus will welcome about 1,000 ninth and 10th grade students. Virginia’s largest school division paid $150 million to acquire the land and infrastructure at the site of the old King Abdullah Academy. The property was fully vacated last July, and the district just received the necessary permits about six months ago, Jagels said.

“From that time forward, we had to ‘Fairfax-ize’ some things,” Jagels said. “It included some wiring and technology, some updated cameras, those types of things.”

The 34-acre campus includes two cafeterias and an indoor swimming pool, making it the first school in Fairfax County to have one. It will host an Aquatics Academy, so students will be able to earn a water safety instructor’s license, pool operator’s license and lifeguard certificate.

The school board opted to make Skyview a comprehensive high school, but it will offer special programming in technology, robotics and aerospace. Recently approved boundaries for the new school will be used for the 2027-28 school year, and students zoned for Skyview won’t be able to opt to remain at their current high school for the 2028-29 academic year.

Amy Goodyear, a commercial pilot who will be teaching aerospace science and biology, said there are already partnerships with NASA and Virginia Space Grant Consortium, and “we’re going to have some kids maybe flying some experiments with NASA in the coming years. So we’ve really laid the groundwork for some great new ideas and projects.”

Goodyear’s classroom includes an entire lab and a separate, smaller lecture space. There’s a plant grow stand, Goodyear said, microscopes and fresh and saltwater aquariums.

“When you really get them connected into whatever they’re studying, it can be life-changing,” Goodyear said. “I’ve had students in the past that have literally changed their paths because they went through my course and they ended up doing this project or that project, and it really spoke to them, and they’re now going on to do college degrees in that area.”

The school’s classrooms are arranged in 14 hangar pods. One of the hangars is a science classroom, and then there are four other classrooms, enabling students to have classes close to each other and offering teachers the chance to collaborate. The center of each pod includes couches and tables.

Keith Weed, a first-year educator who will be teaching robotics, said when he was in high school, “you had to join a club or do something after school, but they can do it as part of their core curriculum, right here in school.”

“We’re going to do a lot of different software stuff,” Weed said. “So we’re going to focus on CAD. We have a suite of 3D printers and laser engravers. We’re going to focus on fabrication, and we’re also going to work on the engineering design process, solving problems and conquering challenges.”

By the end of the third week of school, Jagels said there will be a pep rally to bring the school community together and get students excited about being there.

And by the end of the year, he said, “If we know kids by name and need and we have a school culture, we have some foundational pieces that are established, we have a staff that wants to come back and stay here. I think are all things that we want to do.”

小萝莉影视/Scott Gelman

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This story is part of 小萝莉影视鈥檚 2026聽Back to School coverage.

At Boone Elementary School in Southeast D.C. on Friday afternoon, crews painted classrooms, fixed doors, upgraded the parking lot and cut the grass.

The work is part of the city鈥檚 push to ensure campuses are prepared to welcome kids back to school when the new academic year begins Monday, and similar efforts are underway across D.C.

To prepare, D.C. Department of General Services Director Delano Hunter said, there鈥檚 a focus on small painting jobs and full modernizations and new schools. The city鈥檚 working around the clock to make sure buildings are ready. One day last week, Hunter said he started his day at 4:30 a.m. and turned his computer off around 12:30 a.m.

鈥淎t times, it feels like herding cats,鈥� Hunter said.

The efforts are spread across multiple teams, including capital construction, facility maintenance and the contractual services group responsible for managing vendors鈥� work.

In some cases, the focus is general work order repairs, which Hunter said include fixing doors, locks, elevators and windows. As of Friday, Hunter said they鈥檝e finished about 2,000 of those repairs, and have between 700 and 800 remaining.

They鈥檝e also spent the summer replacing elevators, HVAC systems and turf fields. The agency is working on HVAC systems at 30 locations, Hunter said, and it鈥檚 work that will continue through the start of the new year.

In schools that have had 鈥渃hronic issues,鈥� such as Cardozo Education Campus and Phelps High School, Hunter said there are full HVAC replacements underway.

However, 鈥渘ot all will be done by day one, but we have contingencies like spot coolers in place,鈥� Hunter said.

Crews focus on doing 鈥渁 ton of work鈥� between when school ends in June and resumes again in August, Hunter said. It鈥檚 a time period during which the priority is finishing work that could be considered disruptive during an ordinary school day.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always a race against the timeline,鈥� Hunter said.

This fall, four 鈥渕odernized鈥� campuses 鈥� J.O. Wilson Elementary School, Tubman Elementary School, Malcolm X Elementary School, and Thomas Elementary School 鈥� are opening.

As of last week, the city has certificates of occupancy at all of its major new buildings.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big milestone for us,鈥� Hunter said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 continuous work. It鈥檚 always tight, and we鈥檙e going to run through the tape on this.鈥�

Preventive maintenance, dedicated funding for work order closures and small capital investments are essential for having reliable school facilities, Hunter said.

And even though things may inevitably break, 鈥渨hen things go down, we鈥檙e able to get them up a lot quicker,鈥� Hunter said.

So, he said, families should be assured 鈥渢hat they have professionals that are committed to getting the job done, and when things don鈥檛 happen quite as we like them, we鈥檙e working around the clock to make them right.鈥�

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In early February, Lakshmi Katrapati learned a neighbor had been scammed out of $30,000.

The neighbor saw a deepfake video of Elon Musk on Facebook claiming that anyone who invested in an opportunity he was promoting would get rich. Believing the video was authentic and needing the money, the neighbor invested. It turned out to be a scam.

Katrapati then asked her grandparents whether they were aware of deepfakes and quickly realized that 鈥渇or my generation at least, we鈥檙e all on the AI hype. But for seniors, a lot of them don鈥檛 know or have really little knowledge what AI is.鈥�

That realization prompted her to launch a community initiative called Word by World, which aims to make AI more equitable. A student at George Mason University, Katrapati is visiting senior centers across the D.C. region to give older adults information they need to avoid scams.

鈥淚 hope that people realize what they see online is not real a lot of the time and they don鈥檛 believe what they see,鈥� Katrapati said. 鈥淚 want to prevent cases like my neighbor.鈥�

On Monday afternoon, about a dozen people attended Katrapati鈥檚 session at Brightview Fair Oaks in Fairfax, Virginia. Some attendees shook their heads or reacted aloud as she described what the technology is capable of.

During the hourlong presentation, Katrapati played examples of AI-generated videos and explained how to distinguish them from real ones. She also offered tips on responding to scams, using ChatGPT and building an 鈥淎I defense toolkit.鈥�

鈥淚 just want to be aware of what artificial intelligence is all about,鈥� resident Charlie Potock said. 鈥淏eing an older person, we should be very aware of it. It鈥檚 scary.鈥�

Katrapati has delivered the presentation more than 30 times this year, often at senior community centers. She continued the outreach during a recent summer internship in Mississippi.

In some cases, Katrapati has returned to the same communities to talk more about AI, including its history.

鈥淪ome of them are more suspicious of the internet now, which is good, because a lot of them before used to be trusting of scams,鈥� Katrapati said.

Grace Mingione said she left the session hoping to learn even more about AI and how to determine 鈥渨hat鈥檚 good and what鈥檚 not good.鈥�

鈥淢ost everyone here is alone,鈥� Mingione said. 鈥淚鈥檓 already very cautious about anything I do, so this only makes it more important to do.鈥�

Katrapati said the sessions motivate her 鈥渢o know that I can make some sort of impact in the elderly generation.鈥�

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After searching for local tick experts online, a Chesapeake, Virginia, resident came across Old Dominion University鈥檚 Tick Research Team.

In a message, the resident said she lives in a neighborhood called The Preserve on the Elizabeth, but she hasn鈥檛 been able to enjoy it because it鈥檚 overrun with ticks.

It鈥檚 a story the university researchers hear often, and typically, resident complaints are exaggerated. So Holly Gaff, a professor and department chair for biological sciences, visited the residential area. After investigating, Gaff realized the description was accurate.

The neighborhood was built on land that was once a natural preserve, and many residents moved there because of nearby nature trails. But few residents have been using them, because when they do, either they or their dogs return home covered with ticks.

Now, the researchers are testing whether their 鈥淭ickBot鈥� can offer a solution.

鈥淚 tend to explain it to people as the happy medium solution,鈥� said Darian Dean, research technician at the ODU Tick Research Team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 better than not doing anything at all, but we are also not going crazy and spraying the insecticide on every single inch.鈥�

Courtesy Chuck Thomas/Old Dominion University

Courtesy Chuck Thomas/Old Dominion University

Courtesy Chuck Thomas/Old Dominion University

Courtesy Chuck Thomas/Old Dominion University

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The 鈥淭ickBot鈥� is a remote-controlled car that drags a white piece of denim cloth, which is treated with permethrin, behind it, according to Willow Baker, a biological sciences master鈥檚 student.

Permethrin is known to kill and deter ticks, so the car gets driven on the edge of a trail, and 鈥渨e see that it decreases tick populations for about the next 24 to 48 hours,鈥� Baker said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e testing it out in the neighborhood and hopefully using it, the neighborhood experiment specifically, to commercialize it in the future,鈥� Baker said.

The 鈥淭ickBot鈥� was created around 2010 and has been tested in a variety of places since. The concept, Gaff said, is less expensive and labor-intensive than other alternatives.

Because the chemical stays on the cloth, chemicals aren鈥檛 left in the environment, Gaff said. While that limits the scale it can be used for, it keeps the 鈥渂eneficial insects and other arthropods that you do want to keep in your neighborhoods.鈥�

The approach, Gaff said, could be described as a 鈥淩oomba effect.鈥�

鈥淵ou鈥檙e trying to clean your house, not because you know you鈥檒l never have dirt there again, but you鈥檙e just cleaning that little space, and then the dirt will come back the same way the ticks will come back or emerge from the ground, and you have to run it again to clean it again,鈥� Gaff said.

The current version of the 鈥淭ickBot鈥� costs about $800, and it also requires batteries, Gaff said. They鈥檙e working to find another group to help with the commercialization aspect, and the hope is to automate the tool so the RC car doesn鈥檛 have to be run manually.

The team started using the bot near the Chesapeake trails in April, and it could take at least three summers of doing research to determine its effectiveness.

Some of the trails are getting the TickBot treatment regularly, and others aren鈥檛, Dean said. Over time, they鈥檙e planning to evaluate whether there was less tick activity on trails treated with the TickBot.

鈥淭his tick burden is still going to be there, but the solutions are a lot closer than people might think,鈥� Dean said.

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A woman from Kentucky is in custody Friday morning and charged in relation to the vandalism at The World War II Memorial on the National Mall in D.C.

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro Melissa Farris, 41, was charged with two felonies: depredation against property of the United States and destruction of veterans’ memorials. Those charges carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the phrase 鈥淐lean hands, Dirty $鈥� was spray painted in orange lettering on the part of the memorial facing Constitution Avenue on Thursday afternoon. Green paint was applied beneath the words and splatters of pink paint were on the ground.

Bubbles could also be seen forming on the inner portion of the memorial.

U.S. Park Police were called about a disorderly woman who was seen spray painting the Atlantic Theatre Pavilion at around 2 p.m., according to Pirro’s office.

She reportedly left the scene after police arrived.

A woman who goes by “Melissa Lovewell” on Facebook livestreamed video in which she can be seen spray painting the memorial.

鈥淚 will wait here to be arrested for spraying our veterans鈥� fountain,鈥� she says on the video. 鈥淚t was me, I鈥檓 doing it, it鈥檚 on camera.鈥�

The same woman later posted Friday and said she planned to turn herself in.

According to Pirro’s office, a witness took a photo of the suspect, who police recognized as someone they’d arrested Monday “for unlawfully camping on federal property” near the memorial. The woman had livestreamed that arrest, according to investigators.

Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office

Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office

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‘It鈥檚 very disrespectful’

Pirro criticized the suspect’s actions while announcing her arrest Friday.

“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather,” Pirro said on social media.

As of Thursday at 6 p.m., a large row of Park Police cars lined the sidewalk near the memorial, facing 17th Street. The area was surrounded by police tape on several sides.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a travesty,鈥� Ben Pauwels of Springfield, Virginia, said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really sad. Over 400,000 Americans gave their lives during World War II, the Greatest Generation. It鈥檚 when a country united for a common cause, and it鈥檚 really sad to see.鈥�

In a statement, an Interior Department spokesperson said the vandalism 鈥渋s an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated. Our U.S. Park Police are on the scene and the investigation is ongoing.鈥�

Aubrey O鈥橫alley, visiting D.C. from Minnesota, was walking around with her two boys and heard that someone vandalized the monument.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very disrespectful,鈥� O鈥橫alley said. 鈥淭his is our first trip here. It鈥檚 been a lifelong dream for me to come here with my children, and how sad to see something like this and something can be destroyed in a little bit of time. But it鈥檚 heartwarming to see how quickly they鈥檙e at it and cleaning it up.鈥�

Matthew Murphy, meanwhile, walked by the memorial and said it鈥檚 鈥渄isgraceful, really. Such a historic monument being vandalized for no reason whatsoever. It鈥檚 terrible to see.鈥�

The Associated Press and 小萝莉影视’s Jessica Kronzer contributed to this report.

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At Neighborhood Health in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, Spanberger said medical experts have warned about the impact of the 鈥淥ne Big Beautiful Bill,鈥� particularly on community health clinics where patients may be losing access to Medicaid.

The facility, Spanberger said, is the largest Federally Qualified Health Clinic in the commonwealth. The primary care site also includes pediatrics, dental, behavioral health and a pharmacy, offering continuity of care.

Del. Paul Krizek, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell and Fairfax County Supervisor Dan Storck joined Spanberger, who spoke to patients and doctors on site.

鈥淔QHCs like this one are extraordinary in terms of the service that they provide not just to the individual patient, but to the overall community,鈥� Spanberger told reporters. 鈥淎nd certainly understanding the incredible successes they’ve had, the challenges they face, the challenges and the headwinds that are set to get stronger in the coming months and years, is extraordinarily important for those of us at the state level.鈥�

There are about 300,000 Virginians on Medicaid expansion who have taken steps to ensure they鈥檙e compliant with future requirements of the program, Spanberger said, and there are others living in the U.S. legally as asylees or refugees 鈥渨ho are on path to losing their Medicaid coverage.鈥�

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 calls for new administrative requirements and eligibility conditions for Medicaid, according to the American Medical Association.

In the recently-passed biennial budget package, Spanberger said there鈥檚 funding to support residents who could be at risk of losing their healthcare.

鈥淭hat is state dollars to counteract and mitigate some of the harms of bad federal policy,鈥� Spanberger said. 鈥淏ut we cannot mitigate every lost federal dollar, and certainly, it is extraordinary organizations and health clinics like this one that are doing a lot of that daily hard work.鈥�

In May, Spanberger signed a bill that decreases the out-of-pocket cost for a 30-day supply of insulin and ensures insurance company rules don鈥檛 cause delays for necessary medical care.

Separately, Spanberger said Thursday that federal funding cuts for states have meant fewer vaccines are available at federally qualified health facilities such as Neighborhood Health.

Earlier this week, Virginia鈥檚 Department of Health reaffirmed its support for the existing childhood vaccination schedule. The announcement came in response to President Donald Trump鈥檚 executive order calling for changes to that schedule, including separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into separate single-disease shots.

鈥淐ertainly, as a mom, I support vaccinating our kids, and as a governor, I do worry about the impacts that we have seen in some of our communities where vaccination rates are lower and we have seen outbreaks,鈥� Spanberger said.

Will Spanberger weigh in on future data center cases?

A week after she announced plans to intervene in the State Corporation Case involving the proposed Dominion Energy-NextEra Energy merger, Spanberger said she doesn鈥檛 plan to intervene in other SCC cases.

By intervening in the proposed merger, Spanberger will become a party in the case, gaining access to key documents. Last week, she described the step as the first for a Virginia governor.

鈥淪omething as massive and as unprecedented as the merger or the potential acquisition of Virginia’s largest utility monopoly for $67 billion requires, in my opinion, obviously, that we have every bit of information necessary to provide comments based on what is the sort of evolution of that process,鈥� Spanberger said Thursday.

Residents across Virginia, including in Fairfax County, have been urging Spanberger to step in to stop data center and substation projects.

In one case, a community in Alexandria sent a letter to Spanberger asking her to intervene and stop a plan for a substation at the site of the old Plaza 500 space along Edsall Road.

The group cited Spanberger鈥檚 intervention in the proposed merger case as a reason for her to get involved in that one.

But, Spanberger said Thursday, her 鈥渃urrent stature as it relates to other SCC cases is that I do not intend to intervene in other SCC cases.鈥�

However, she said, her administration has submitted comments to the SCC in cases it has concerns about.

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With a book in her hand, Taylor McCoy approached one of the many cats behind glass at Fairfax County Animal Services’ Lorton campus on Tuesday afternoon.

She turned the pages and pointed toward an unnamed orange cat whose paperwork suggested was found as a stray. An orange sign said only volunteers could interact with the animal, so McCoy read through the glass.

A few feet away, Evelyn Currier read to Winston Churchill, a white cat with black spots who nudged the edges of the book as Currier flipped each page. It marked a refreshing departure from time at home or in front of a screen, Currier said.

For a few years, Fairfax County has invited students to read to adoptable pets as part of its Paws & Read initiative. It’s an evolution of a similar program run during evenings throughout the academic year.

So far this summer, hundreds of students have attended the weekly event, which is held on Tuesdays from noon to 5 p.m., according to Reasa Currier, director of Fairfax County’s Animal Services. Aug. 25 is scheduled as the summer’s last session.

“It just helps to really just get a close interaction with an animal and connect with the animal, and just kind of forget about being on your phone and just live in the moment,” Evelyn Currier said.

Signs throughout the facility indicate where students can read to pets. Appointments aren’t necessary to participate in the free event, and the site has books and supplies, including pads for kids to sit on.

For McCoy, a rising high school sophomore, the experience “gives me confidence because everyone around is listening, and also the pets in this shelter are listening too,” she said.

When the program started, Reasa Currier said the animals seemed perplexed. But quickly, they become increasingly comfortable and enjoy the interaction.

“Parents have said that they really struggle to get their children out of their house and off technology,” Reasa Currier said. “The children request to come here, and this is something they look forward to every single week.”

But the animals are benefiting too. Research suggests increased interaction with people boosts a pet’s adoptability, Reasa Currier said. In some cases, kids reading to an adoptable pet end up taking it home.

Students, who in some cases are working through summer reading programs, can read to cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and birds.

Max, a rising second grader, read to Sherbet, a yellow parakeet.

“It’s fun to read to pets,” he said. “You get to read and they’re listening to you.”

While the Paws & Read program is scheduled to end this month, the county’s Reading Tails program, which lets kids read to adoptable pets in the evenings, will resume after the start of the school year.

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This story is part of 小萝莉影视鈥檚 2026聽Back to School coverage.

Prince William County School Board members in Virginia faced an uncomfortable reality during a meeting in February.

With enrollment trends declining, and projections expecting that to continue, the board decided to nix plans for what it hoped would one day become its 14th high school.

The division, the second largest in Virginia, envisioned a 1,400-student facility in Lake Ridge. But several delays, connected in part to enrollment data and increasing costs, prompted the board to ultimately hold off.

The decision to support a Capital Improvement Program that didn鈥檛 call for a new high school in Prince William is one of the latest in the series of difficult choices tied to troubling public school enrollment trends across the D.C. region.

Declining birth rates, immigration and migration patterns and housing costs are all playing a role in fewer students enrolling in public schools, experts said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a myriad of implications that follow along declining enrollment counts,鈥� said Zachary Jackson, senior researcher at the University of Virginia鈥檚 Weldon Cooper Center.

Before the pandemic, Virginia鈥檚 K-12 enrollment grew for the better part of three decades, Jackson said. It 鈥渨obbled鈥� in 2018, peaked in 2019 and fell in 2020, and 鈥渨e haven鈥檛 really seen enrollment rebound.鈥�

Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia鈥檚 largest division, had 2,878 fewer students last year than it did in 2022-23, according to a 小萝莉影视 analysis of enrollment data from Virginia鈥檚 Department of Education.

Prince William had 1,518 fewer last year than in 2022, and Loudoun had 1,672 fewer students enrolled last year compared with 2022-23.

The three Virginia divisions all reported drops in enrollment last year, compared with 2024-25, too.

Last fall, Loudoun school leaders said rising costs of living and home prices were playing a role in enrollment trends.

鈥淲e are seeing a slowing and declining in our enrollment,鈥� Beverly Tate, director of planning and GIS services, said during a presentation last year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly going to have an effect on staffing. It鈥檚 going to have an effect on new school construction.鈥�

As fewer kids enter kindergarten, Jackson said it 鈥渟lowly erodes the foundation of K-12 enrollment.鈥� In Virginia, the declining birth rate started around 2008, he said.

There, over the next five years, Jackson said kindergarten enrollment is expected to continue declining.

Meanwhile, in Maryland, Montgomery County Public Schools reported 4,504 fewer students last year than it had in 2022-23, according to county data. Enrollment has dropped each of the last four school years.

As a result, the division is launching an elementary and middle school boundary study, which will review building capacity and could include scenarios for closing campuses.

Superintendent Thomas Taylor鈥檚 recommended school consolidations and closures are expected early next year, according to school board documents.

Nearby Prince George鈥檚 County only had 540 fewer students last year compared with 2022, according to its website, but the drop over the last two years has been more significant, from 132,153 kids to 130,603.

And D.C. Public Schools had about 1,400 more kids last year than it did in 2022-23, though it experienced a drop in 2025-26 compared with 2024-25.

In some cases, declining enrollment could lead to less funding, resulting in difficult staffing decisions.

To change the projections over the next five years in Virginia, Jackson said, 鈥淭he most obvious thing is if we see a sustained increase in the number of children born. That鈥檚 the simplest antidote here.鈥�

Source

Aidan Smith has spent years as a member of the Nova Cool Cats, skating on the same ice the Washington Capitals use to practice in Arlington, Virginia.

The ice hockey team brings people with disabilities of all ages together, helping to teach teamwork and communication skills. But a coach from another team told Smith that USA Field Hockey was organizing a team for the Para Hockey World Cup and asked whether he’d be interested in trying out.

So he spent two weekends playing field hockey to see if it was something he’d be open to. He watched his sister play field hockey at Wakefield High School in Arlington, so he was familiar with the sport.

He was invited to a training camp in Pennsylvania. He thrived there, too, and was selected to join the U.S. roster for the inaugural 2026 Para Hockey World Cup.

“I’m most excited about winning the competition,” Smith told 小萝莉影视.

During the most recent training camp in St. Louis, the team needed someone to step into goal, realizing they were missing a goalie. Smith eagerly volunteered to try it, and now, that’s the position he’s playing. It’s a role, he said, that involves a lot of blocking or deflecting.

“I’ve got to say, awesome and cool,” Smith said, when asked about the chance to participate in this summer’s competition. “And being a part of field hockey, it’s just a demonstration for a lot of people.”

Chrissy Smith, Aidan’s mom, described him as adaptable, and said he’s been excited about spending time with teammates and coaches. The U.S. team has boys and girls from around the country, including places such as Los Angeles, New York, and Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Last weekend, Aidan attended the last training camp in St. Louis, and stayed with the roommate he’ll also be with in Belgium later this month. He craves independence, and, “What better way to be with a team and not your parents in Europe playing in the World Cup?” his mother said.

“You can’t even put into words what type of opportunity this is, because it says to people with disabilities, ‘You belong. You belong at the World Cup. You belong playing field hockey, and you can,'” Chrissy Smith said.

A former member of the track and field team at Wakefield High School, Smith has spent recent months running, lifting, getting comfortable in goalie pads and practicing playing with the stick.

Courtesy Chrissy Smith

Courtesy Chrissy Smith

Courtesy USA Hockey

Courtesy Chrissy Smith

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The 2026 FIH Para Hockey World Cup is scheduled to be held in Belgium later this month. Nack in February, the International Hockey Federation invited USA Field Hockey to bring a team to compete.

Pakistan, Belgium, France, Germany, Zambia, Ireland and Italy are also listed as participating countries.

Aidan Smith’s parents and grandparents are planning to attend and will be able to sit in a VIP section, Chrissy Smith said.

Meanwhile, Aidan Smith said he’s looking forward to “being a No. 1 standout for the U.S., the entire country.”

鈥淲e are very excited to make history this August in Belgium for the inaugural Para Hockey World Cup,鈥� co-head coach Lindsay Jackson said. 鈥淲e have been working really hard to recruit and prepare our athletes for this opportunity and feel that we have a strong core group that brings gratitude, bravery and a strong sense of community to the team.”

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But as she got older, she realized that at work, her mother’s disability 鈥渨asn鈥檛 visible enough for people to take seriously, and she never got the accommodations she needed,鈥� Tuteja said.

Now a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia, Tuteja observed a similar pattern at school. Students who approach problems differently were 鈥渓ooked down upon or didn鈥檛 get as much support as they needed, because their disability wasn鈥檛 visible, and they were often seen as less capable,鈥� she said.

Those experiences prompted Tuteja to create Raaha, a free artificial intelligence tool that assists neurodivergent job seekers in determining whether a potential job will fit the way they work. Raaha means 鈥減ath鈥� in Hindi, Tuteja said, and the product鈥檚 tagline is, 鈥淔ind your way.鈥�

鈥淚’ve worked with lots of neurodivergent, like, students and families, and I think one thing I kept noticing is getting the opportunity wasn’t necessarily the hard part, but it was ending up in an environment that isn’t built for how your brain works,鈥� Tuteja said.

While several jobs platforms detail salary, location and benefits, Tuteja said it鈥檚 much less clear whether the work environment will be a good fit.

The free site asks users to paste a job description and take a short work-style quiz.

The data is processed by Anthropic’s Claude AI, using a prompt Tuteja created with the help of neurodiversity specialists.

The site then generates personalized results.

Factors such as tasks, task structure, work pace, communication, work environment and schedule predictability are all scored.

The project has been in the works for a year and launched about a month ago. So far, over 200 people have used the site.

鈥淩aaha obviously begins with neurodivergent job seekers, because they bear the greatest cost when information is missing,鈥� Tuteja said. 鈥淓veryone deserves to know what a workplace will actually be like.鈥�

The tool is web-based now, but it鈥檚 pending App Store approval, Tuteja said.

Tuteja recently received an email from someone who said they have ADHD and came across Raaha. They were searching for a computer science job, and the site 鈥渞eally helped them figure out if it鈥檒l suit their environment.鈥�

鈥淲hat I’ve learned is job descriptions contain a lot of hidden information,鈥� Tuteja said. 鈥淲hen a company says something like self-starter, like or fast-paced environment, they have consistent meanings.鈥�

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Here鈥檚 what families need to know as the 2026-27 school year gets underway.

DC

DC Public Schools

Number of schools: 117
Total enrollment: 51,528 last year
First Day: Aug. 24
What to know:

• Dr. Kim Jackson is entering her first school year as the interim chancellor, following the departure of Lewis Ferebee.
• Four 鈥渕odernized鈥� campuses 鈥� J.O. Wilson Elementary School, Tubman Elementary School, Malcolm X Elementary School, and Thomas Elementary School 鈥� are opening.
• Nine schools will be operating in temporary swing space locations during modernization work.
• MacArthur High students will return to a renovated campus, and the school has a new name, John R. Thompson Jr. High, honoring the longtime Georgetown men鈥檚 basketball coach.
• D.C.鈥檚 Office of the State Superintendent of Education is working to update high school graduation requirements.

Maryland

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Number of schools: 126
Total enrollment: 84,346, according to U.S. 小萝莉影视 and World Report
First Day: Aug. 24
What to know:

• A new policy makes helping a child 鈥渨ork toward toileting independence鈥� a teacher responsibility.
• Launching a pilot program featuring a new schedule in three middle schools.
• Opening two new schools, New Village Academy Public Charter School and Carver Early Education Center, and moving Marley Glen Special School into a space at Severn Run High.

Frederick County Public Schools

Number of schools: 71 schools and programs
Total enrollment: 47,884
First Day: Aug. 24
What to know:

• School system has updated its cellphone policy. The division is considering it a 鈥渂ell-to-bell鈥� policy. Cellphones and other personal devices have to be put away for the duration of the school day.
• Two new buildings are opening: Linganore Creek Elementary and Yellow Springs Elementary.
• New Judy Center at Thurmont Primary, one of seven new Judy Centers across the state. Judy Centers are grant-funded early learning facilities embedded in Maryland elementary schools.
• Staff will be using a new Student Information System. The district said no major changes in parent or student experience are expected, but routine tasks 鈥渕ay take longer to complete as staff adjust to a new system.鈥� Schoology will still be the primary access hub for student courses, assignments and grades.

Howard County Public Schools

Number of schools: 78 schools
Total enrollment: 57,031
First Day: Aug. 24

Montgomery County Public Schools

Number of schools: 211
Total enrollment: 151,983 last year
First Day: Aug. 25 (Monday, Aug. 24, is a transition day)
What to know:

• Start of a new cellphone policy, which requires phones to be put away all day from the start bell until dismissal for all grade levels. Use isn鈥檛 allowed in between classes or during lunch.
• An update to the MCPS Student Code of Conduct will include changes to guidance on progressive discipline.
• Launching a phased boundary study for elementary and middle schools. The first phase will begin this year. The school board will vote on the superintendent鈥檚 recommendations for school consolidations and closures at the end of the school year.

Prince George鈥檚 County Public Schools

Number of schools: About 200 schools and centers
Total enrollment: 126,006 last year
First Day: Aug. 25
What to know:

• Encouraging more families to sign up for the transportation app that launched last year.
• The school day has been extended five minutes to account for the possibility of modifications due to winter weather.
• Dr. Shawn Joseph has been appointed the permanent superintendent.
• A nonprofit鈥檚 daily arts-based after-school program is coming to William Beanes Elementary.

Virginia

Arlington Public Schools

Number of schools: 42
Total enrollment: 27,557 last year
First Day: Aug. 31
What to know:

• The district is opening the Grace Hopper Center, welcoming kids previously attending the Arlington Career Center and Langston High, and Arlington Community High School, which is moving to Amazon鈥檚 HQ2.
• Implementing a phased approach to the school system鈥檚 device program. Younger students will be transitioned to shared classroom devices while there鈥檚 still 1:1 access for older kids.
• New bus tracking system, starting with a pilot at certain schools before it expands to cover the entire division.
• Sports offerings now include boys鈥� varsity volleyball and girls鈥� flag football.

City of Alexandria Public Schools

Number of schools: 18
Total enrollment: 15,900 last year
First Day: Aug. 24
What to know:

• New boundaries, impacting about 1,400 currently enrolled students, will be in effect.
• The division has updated its walk zones.
• The school board is searching for a new superintendent.
• Melanie Kay-Wyatt is retiring, effective Oct. 1.

Culpeper County Public Schools

Number of Schools: 11
Total enrollment: 8,350 last year
First Day: Aug. 5

Fairfax County Public Schools

Number of schools: 200
Total enrollment: 177,249 last year
First Day: Aug. 24
What to know:

• Skyview High will open in Herndon for its first academic year. It will include ninth and 10th graders, who will have a traditional core curriculum with pathways in Aerospace Science, Machine Learning and Technology and Artificial Intelligence.
• Every student will get an ID card as part of work to modernize transportation and improve safety. Bus riders will be expected to tap the card when they board and exit the bus.
• Parents will be able to track students using a new bus app.
• New middle school and high school math textbooks for Math 6 through Algebra 2.
• Launch of a new elementary school after-school robotics club pilot program. Students will compete against other schools in robotics competitions.
• Pre-K and kindergarten kids won鈥檛 be allowed to use district issued tablets or laptops.
• Continuing to work toward an AI policy, but elementary schoolers can鈥檛 use AI.

Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Number of schools: 6
Total enrollment: 3,610 last year
First Day: Aug. 12 (Aug. 11 is a transition day.)

Loudoun County Public Schools

Number of schools: 100
Total enrollment: 77,601 last year
First Day: Aug. 17
What to know:

• Updates to the division鈥檚 dress code, though the changes stopped short of banning pajamas.
• Superintendent Aaron Spence recently had his contract extended.
• The school board is appealing a proposed transmission line project through part of the county to the Virginia Supreme Court.

Prince William County Public Schools

Number of schools: 100 schools and programs
Total enrollment: 89,731 enrolled last year
First Day: Aug. 24
What to know:

• New updated grading policy aimed at improving consistency. The change includes clearer expectations for homework and late work and the addition of minus grades for the 6-12 grading scale.
• New school, Woodbridge Elementary, opening.
• Occoquan Elementary is starting the year in its new school building.

Spotsylvania Public Schools

Number of schools: 31
Total enrollment: 23,883 last year
First Day: Aug. 11

Stafford County Public Schools

Number of schools: 35
Total enrollment: 32,000 last year
First Day: Aug. 12 (Aug. 11 is a transition day)
What to know:

• Debuting SchooLinks, a platform aimed at helping prepare students for life after graduation, starting in elementary school. Kids can message their school counselor directly through the platform.
• Expanding Let鈥檚 Talk, a website chatbot that offers 24-hour access to information. It includes a direct messaging option.
• Three new schools opening 鈥� Hartwood High, Falls Run Elementary and Crow鈥檚 Nest Elementary.
• New mental health support page opens automatically when kids open an internet browser on a division-issued device.

Source

In front of a crowd of about 100 at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Byron Holly played the trombone.

He鈥檚 been playing the instrument for a decade, and he has performed at the Northwest D.C. school before, but his latest appearance was different.

“I was just a little scared,” Holly said, because this time he was there as a rising freshman, performing for a group of his peers, and he didn’t know what to expect.

The Wednesday event, which featured D.C. Public Schools Interim Chancellor Kim Jackson, was part of D.C.’s Summer Bridge, a weeklong program for incoming sixth and ninth graders.

The annual program pairs them with returning students at the District’s public middle and high schools. The hope is their actual first day will be less daunting.

鈥淚鈥檝e never been in a big building like this in school,鈥� Holly said. “But, you know, I think I can聽get some friends. They can help me show me around聽the building.”

The program is designed differently at each school. At Duke Ellington, there鈥檚 a focus on dance or band, among other things.

During one breakout session Wednesday, incoming students sat in a circle and asked questions about switching instruments and about the hardest part of adjusting to high school.

Iman Alexander, another rising freshman, said she鈥檚 been eager to learn her way around, because she doesn鈥檛 want to be late to classes during the first week.

The Summer Bridge program has also helped her make a number of new friends, she said, and included a useful life lesson.

鈥淚’ve learned that criticism is very important, and it’s not always an attack on you,鈥� Alexander said.

鈥淚t’s more so just to help you and to help you understand what you need to do better and what you have done good.鈥�

The Georgetown campus has 608 students, and聽Sandi Logan,聽the principal, said it could be hard for students to get comfortable once the school year begins.

So, Logan said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for this 鈥� group of freshmen to have some time in the building to get a sense of where their lockers are, where their arts departments are located, without the hustle and bustle of the full student body.鈥�

Holly, meanwhile, is eager to meet more of his peers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be pretty good meeting new people,鈥� Holly said. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 really excited about meeting the teachers. I heard so many things about the trombone teacher, the band teacher, jazz. I really want to meet them and make my skill level better.鈥�

The first day of school in D.C. is Aug. 24.

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The polls opened at 6 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.

The primary election in the commonwealth is typically held in June, but state lawmakers voted to delay it while the push for redistricting played out.

While Virginia鈥檚 Supreme Court struck down the redistricting plan, the primary remained in early August. Some experts said low turnout is expected because of the timing, when families are on vacation or planning for the new school year.

鈥淎t least in most of the competitive districts, we at least have a decent sense of who we think the nominees are going to be,鈥� said J. Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato鈥檚 Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia鈥檚 Center for Politics.

小萝莉影视’s Luke Lukert reported that turnout was low at a polling place in Prince William County Tuesday morning.

Before primary day, Justice Department announced plans to send observers to polling stations in Prince William and Fairfax counties.

“Both election offices say this is pretty normal. They have neutral observers from different organizations, including the Justice Department and the NAACP,” Lukert said.

Races to watch

In the D.C. region, several Republicans will face off in a primary with the hope of facing incumbent Rep. Eugene Vindman in November.

That race, in Virginia鈥檚 7th District, could be close because it鈥檚 鈥渁lways been a competitive seat and so that means it鈥檚 going to be one that many people are going to be looking at and paying a lot of attention to,鈥� Virginia Tech Political Science Professor Karen Hult said.

Vindman, Hult said, has also been a longtime target of Republicans and President Donald Trump. Vindman’s district includes Prince William, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties and Fredericksburg.

In other primary races in Northern Virginia, several Democrats are looking to unseat longtime Rep. Don Beyer in District 8 and multiple Republicans are facing off for the chance to face Rep. Suhas Subramanyam in District 10.

Beyer, a six-term congressman, represents residents who live in Fairfax and Arlington counties as well as the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church.

Subramanyam is serving his first term representing District 10, which includes Fauquier and Loudoun counties, parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties as well as the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

What other races will be competitive?

Analysts are largely expecting the most competitive primary and general elections in Virginia鈥檚 1st and 2nd congressional districts.

In the 1st District, seven Democrats are battling to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman. Shannon Taylor, Henrico鈥檚 commonwealth鈥檚 attorney, is largely considered the front-runner in the Democratic primary.

Speaking about the district, Coleman said, 鈥淭rump still carried it, but it profiles like a lot of the seats that Democrats flipped in the 2018 midterms, in Trump鈥檚 first midterm.鈥�

Similarly, in the 2nd District, four Democrats are competing for the chance to face Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans.

That race, according to Hult, 鈥渓ooks like it could well be competitive again鈥� because it鈥檚 鈥渙ne that has flipped back and forth in terms of which party controls it.鈥�

Bob Holsworth, a Richmond-based political analyst, said few of the races are expected to be very competitive because, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the Republicans nationally are going to be putting money into Virginia challengers to the Democrats.鈥�

Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato鈥檚 Crystal Ball, told 小萝莉影视 that he’s curious to see how activated the Republican base is for the November midterms.

“(The) national problems for Republicans is that Democrats seem way more enthusiastic to vote, and that could have a bearing on what the results are,” Kondik said.

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Last week, Amazon submitted a site plan application seeking approval for four data center buildings at George Washington University鈥檚 Virginia Science and Technology campus in Ashburn.

Supervisor Juli Briskman, whose district includes the project site, said in a lengthy social media statement that the plan calls for 800,000 square feet of data center space.

The application, called 鈥淏ridgefield Tech Center,鈥� aims to use what Brinkman described as 鈥渙utdated zoning policies鈥� to complete the project through a process that wouldn鈥檛 require review by the Loudoun County Planning Commission, public hearings or from the Board of Supervisors.

The proposal comes about five months after Amazon Data Services bought the GW campus for $427 million. Amazon said it plans to honor the university’s ability to continue operating in Ashburn for up to five years, and construction wouldn鈥檛 start until the campus is fully vacated.

Still, the prospect of more data centers in an area known as 鈥淒ata Center Alley鈥� has frustrated some residents.

鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy,鈥� Loudoun resident Miriam Musau said. 鈥淭hey are invading and making this area like a concrete jungle.鈥�

Resident Ann Williams said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know when you can say we have enough. We just have enough.鈥�

The George Washington University campus is within the Route 28 tax district, where data centers have been allowed by right. Briskman said that means a 1972 zoning ordinance applies instead of current rules.

A county zoning administrator opinion issued in 2000 also classified the data centers as office use under the older zoning ordinance, potentially allowing them to move forward by right in areas where office uses are allowed.

Loudoun鈥檚 updated zoning ordinance doesn鈥檛 allow data centers by right on land designated for office, research or development uses. They have to go through an exception process that includes public hearings and a Board of Supervisors vote.

鈥淲hen GW received this land as part of a donation, it was envisioned to be research and development and higher education types of uses,鈥� Briskman told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淭his proposal is not only inappropriate if you think about the original intent of that property, but it’s also inappropriate because it’s too close to homes, it’s too close to our beloved Bles Park, it’s too close to the Potomac River.鈥�

In the lengthy social media statement, Briskman said she鈥檚 plans to fight the proposed data centers 鈥渆very step of the way.鈥�

Amazon, meanwhile, told 小萝莉影视 in a statement that it has been one of Loudoun鈥檚 largest taxpayers, paying more than $2.1 billion in property taxes and fees between 2016 and 2025.

The concept site plan, the company said, is the first formal step 鈥渋n a lengthy review process.鈥�

鈥淲e look forward to working with Loudoun County and community stakeholders as the review process unfolds,鈥� the Amazon statement said.

Geri Timon, a Loudoun resident, said she opposes the data center development because, 鈥淲e moved here for the rolling hills, and we鈥檙e getting more and more technologically connected. We need to see more green.鈥�

Rick Brazelton, though, said he appreciates the revenue data centers bring to the county, but 鈥淚 do think if they鈥檙e tearing down a college to put one up, that鈥檚 kind of excessive.鈥�

Last month, Briskman spearheaded a plan for Loudoun County staff to provide more information on the feasibility of a data center moratorium by September.

While data centers provide a steady revenue stream, Briskman said the county can likely stop allowing new data centers and still 鈥渞ealize a good amount of revenue鈥� for several years.

鈥淯nfortunately, Loudouners don’t want data centers anymore, and they don’t want more data centers even if they are bringing in a good amount of revenue,鈥� Briskman said. 鈥淟oudouners have been asking us for a really, really long time to please curtail or stop the unchecked growth of data centers in our county.鈥�

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