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What's the most underrated thing about HERNDON HIGH that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,261
High
DISTRICT 2,257 · STATE 1,213
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510126000495
Herndon High
700 Bennett St, Herndon, VA 20170 · (703) 810-2200 · Fairfax County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,261 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.6:1
194 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
49%
1,119 students
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 66%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 491 | 22% |
| Grade 10 | 591 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 566 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 613 | 27% |
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
SOL 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
76.0%
VA avg 74.2% . -1.0pp since 2022
Math
73.0%
VA avg 72.7% . -3.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 76 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 73 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are down about 1 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 3 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 76.0% | 73.0% |
| 2023-24 | 78.0% | 77.0% |
| 2022-23 | 77.0% | 76.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
63.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
74.6%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 64% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 75% typical for Virginia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Virginia's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Herndon High
Herndon High's state test result (63.7% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herndon High this school | 2,261 | 49.5% | 63.7% |
| Wakefield High Arlington | 2,646 | 48.0% | 67.8% |
| West Potomac High Alexandria | 2,710 | 48.6% | 59.3% |
| Mount Vernon High Alexandria | 1,858 | 57.1% | 56.8% |
| Millbrook High Winchester | 1,550 | 47.4% | 65.5% |
| Falls Church High Falls Church | 2,170 | 65.9% | 63.3% |
Matched among Virginia high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Herndon High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Fairfax County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 63.7% | #260 of 311 | #20 of 24 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 73.0% | #238 of 316 ▼ 19 | #21 of 24 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 76.0% | #268 of 316 ▼ 37 | #24 of 24 ▼ 5 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,261 | #32 of 325 | #15 of 27 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.6:1 | #45 of 309 | #2 of 25 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.3% | #121 of 309 | #19 of 25 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 49.5% | #205 of 319 | #7 of 26 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.4% | #129 of 178 | #8 of 15 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,261
-25 (-1%) vs 2020
+17% since 1990-91, when it was 1,935
Student : Teacher
11.6:1
was 13.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,261 | 194.4 | 11.6:1 | 49% (1,119) |
| 2023-24 | 2,360 | 192.6 | 12.3:1 | 51% (1,208) |
| 2022-23 | 2,361 | 143.5 | 16.4:1 | 48% (1,133) |
| 2020-21 | 2,286 | 174 | 13.1:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 2,390 | 174.7 | 13.7:1 | 39% (924) |
| 2015-16 | 2,307 | 172 | 13.4:1 | 35% (798) |
| 2010-11 | 2,298 | 114 | 20.2:1 | 26% (600) |
| 2000-01 | 2,303 | 165 | 14.0:1 | 13% (305) |
| 1990-91 | 1,935 | 119 | 16.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Herndon High.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (2,390 to 2,261); teachers up 11% (174.7 to 194.4).
About Herndon High
Herndon High is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as a high school in Herndon, Virginia. It enrolls 2,261 students in 2024-25. The grades offered are 9 through 12. The school is 86% above the average for high schools in Virginia.
Fairfax County Public Schools has a total of 199 schools and 179,323 students, Herndon High among them.
The student body at Herndon High is 53% Hispanic. The school is also 28% White, 8% Asian, 6% Black, and 4% multiracial. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 18%. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 62%.
Herndon High reported 194.4 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, a ratio of 11.6:1. High schools in Virginia average 13.9:1, 2.3 more students per teacher than here. There are 1,119 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 49% of enrollment. That is higher than the 37% average for public schools in Fairfax County.
Test results at Herndon High are 10.9 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (63.7% actual, 74.6% predicted).
For Fairfax County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $153,637 a year, roughly 65% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 4%. Public schools in Fairfax County number 222, with about 174,475 students.
About 0.7 miles separate Herndon High from the closest public school, Herndon Elementary. The five-mile area around Herndon High holds at least 8 other public schools. Herndon High's average proficiency of 63.7% compares with 57.3% for its nearest scored neighbors.
By NCES locale, the school is Suburb: Large, or in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The student count changed little between 2020-21 (2,286) and 2024-25 (2,261). The school's ratio dropped from 13.1:1 to 11.6:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Anyone can start a thread about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Herndon High. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Fairfax County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,147,837
Census ACS
Median income
$153,637
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
65%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
222
174,475 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Fairfax County Public Schools
- Lake Braddock SecondaryHigh · 4,411 students
- Robinson SecondaryHigh · 3,710 students
- Hayfield SecondaryHigh · 3,256 students
- Chantilly HighHigh · 2,937 students
- West Springfield HighHigh · 2,799 students
- Westfield HighHigh · 2,737 students
Other schools in Herndon
- Carson MiddleMiddle · 1,358 students
- Coates ElementaryElementary · 996 students
- Hutchison ElementaryElementary · 970 students
- Herndon MiddleMiddle · 895 students
- Herndon ElementaryElementary · 792 students
- Floris ElementaryElementary · 666 students
Nearby schools
- Herndon Elementary0.7 mi · 792
- Clearview Elementary0.9 mi · 580
- Armstrong Elementary1.0 mi · 357
- Dranesville Elementary1.0 mi · 610
- Forest Grove Elementary1.5 mi · 529
- Sully Elementary1.5 mi · 476
Frequently asked questions
About Herndon HighWhat is the total enrollment at Herndon High?
Herndon High enrolls approximately 2,261 students in grades 09-12.
Is Herndon High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Herndon High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Herndon High have?
Herndon High employs 194 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.6:1.
How diverse is Herndon High?
Herndon High reports a student body of 28% White, 53% Hispanic, 6% Black, 8% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Herndon High?
Herndon High is overseen by Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.