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What's one community event at POTOMAC HIGH more people should show up to?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,197
High
DISTRICT 2,259 · STATE 1,213
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510313001857
Potomac High
3401 Panther Pride Drive, Dumfries, VA 22026 · (703) 441-4200 · Prince William County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,197 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
135 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
68%
1,486 students
DISTRICT 57% · 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 | 614 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 565 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 484 | 22% |
| Grade 12 | 534 | 24% |
Student demographics
69%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
82.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +0.0pp since 2022
Math
85.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +4.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 82 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 85 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2022, while math scores are up about 4 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 82.0% | 85.0% |
| 2023-24 | 78.0% | 81.0% |
| 2022-23 | 82.0% | 81.0% |
% 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
71.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.7%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 72% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 70% 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 Potomac High
Potomac High's state test result (71.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac High this school | 2,197 | 67.6% | 71.5% |
| Lloyd C. Bird High Chesterfield | 2,131 | 74.0% | 63.5% |
| Oscar F. Smith High Chesapeake | 2,264 | 71.4% | 73.8% |
| Woodbridge High Woodbridge | 2,898 | 67.9% | 73.1% |
| Massaponax High Fredericksburg | 1,692 | 62.8% | 70.8% |
| Thomas Dale High Chester | 2,582 | 74.2% | 70.6% |
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 Potomac High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Prince William County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 71.5% | #195 of 311 | #10 of 13 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 85.0% | #140 of 316 ▲ 46 | #6 of 13 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 82.0% | #199 of 316 ▲ 40 | #8 of 13 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,197 | #38 of 325 | #8 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.2:1 | #258 of 309 | #6 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.3% | #46 of 309 | #7 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 67.6% | #177 of 319 | #5 of 13 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +8.3% | #70 of 131 | #4 of 6 |
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
2,197
+234 (+12%) vs 2020
+24% since 1990-91, when it was 1,775
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
was 16.4:1
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 | 2,197 | 135.4 | 16.2:1 | 68% (1,486) |
| 2023-24 | 2,173 | 137 | 15.9:1 | 59% (1,282) |
| 2022-23 | 2,065 | 125 | 16.5:1 | 54% (1,124) |
| 2020-21 | 1,963 | 120 | 16.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 2,029 | 120.3 | 16.9:1 | 47% (944) |
| 2015-16 | 1,946 | 109 | 17.9:1 | 44% (861) |
| 2010-11 | 1,693 | 82 | 20.6:1 | 40% (678) |
| 2000-01 | 1,600 | 104 | 15.4:1 | 22% (350) |
| 1990-91 | 1,775 | 117 | 15.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Potomac High.
Since 2017-18: students up 8% (2,029 to 2,197); teachers up 13% (120.3 to 135.4).
About Potomac High
Located in Dumfries, Virginia, Potomac High is a large high school. Enrollment is 2,197 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 9 through 12. The average for high schools in Virginia is about 1,213 students, so this school is 81% larger than average.
The 95 schools of Prince William County Public Schools, including Potomac High, enroll 90,242 students.
No single group makes up more than half of enrollment at Potomac High. The largest is Black students, at 43%. The next largest groups are 31% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 9% White, and 6% multiracial. In Prince William County overall, about 20% of residents are Black. The school's diversity index is 69%, meaning two students picked at random have a 69% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.2:1 at Potomac High, with 135.4 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 2.3 above the 13.9:1 average for high schools in Virginia. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 68%. Across public schools in Prince William County, the average is 55%.
Potomac High scores 71.5% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 69.7%.
Federal survey data for Prince William County show that the median household income is $131,402, 45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of people live in poverty. There are 102 public schools in Prince William County, enrolling about 89,591 students in all.
The nearest public school is Potomac Middle, at about 0.3 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of the 9 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Potomac High is 2nd on average proficiency.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Suburb: Large: in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment climbed 12% from its 2020-21 level of 1,963.
If you have questions about school safety, transportation, and start times at Potomac High, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Prince William County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
488,880
Census ACS
Median income
$131,402
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
45%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
102
89,591 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Prince William County Public Schools
- Charles J. Colgan Sr. HighHigh · 2,956 students
- Woodbridge HighHigh · 2,898 students
- Osbourn Park HighHigh · 2,661 students
- Gainesville HighHigh · 2,648 students
- Gar-Field HighHigh · 2,524 students
- Forest Park HighHigh · 2,343 students
Other schools in Dumfries
- Potomac Shores MiddleMiddle · 1,229 students
- Covington-Harper ElementaryElementary · 1,025 students
- Potomac MiddleMiddle · 931 students
- John F. Pattie Sr. ElementaryElementary · 906 students
- A. Henderson ElementaryElementary · 815 students
- Mary Williams ElementaryElementary · 669 students
Other Potomac High schools
One other US public school is named Potomac High. Potomac High is the largest of the 2.
- Potomac HighOxon Hill, MD · 1,347 students
Nearby schools
- Potomac Middle0.3 mi · 931
- Mary Williams Elementary0.5 mi · 669
- River Oaks Elementary1.2 mi · 662
- Fannie W. Fitzgerald Elementary1.4 mi · 829
- Leesylvania Elementary1.4 mi · 759
- Freedom High2.1 mi · 2,303
Frequently asked questions
About Potomac HighWhat is the total enrollment at Potomac High?
Potomac High enrolls approximately 2,197 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Potomac High serve?
Potomac High serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Potomac High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Potomac High is approximately 16.2:1 (135 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Potomac High?
Student demographics at Potomac High are roughly 9% White, 31% Hispanic, 43% Black, 10% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Potomac High?
Potomac High is overseen by Prince William County Public Schools in Prince William County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.