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What's the biggest difference between SOUTH COUNTY HIGH and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,106
High
DISTRICT 2,257 · STATE 1,213
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510126002436
South County High
8501 Silverbrook Road, Lorton, VA 22079 · (703) 446-1600 · Fairfax County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL2,106 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 22% of Virginia public high schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Virginia public high schools
Student : Teacher
16.3:1
129 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
23%
486 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 | 486 | 23% |
| Grade 10 | 500 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 529 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 591 | 28% |
Student demographics
75%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
93.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +1.0pp since 2022
Math
84.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +3.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 93 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 84 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 3 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 93.0% | 84.0% |
| 2023-24 | 90.0% | 82.0% |
| 2022-23 | 92.0% | 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
71.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
81.8%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 71% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 82% 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 South County High
South County High's state test result (71.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South County High this school | 2,106 | 23.1% | 71.4% |
| Gainesville High Gainesville | 2,648 | 28.1% | 83.5% |
| Patriot High Nokesville | 2,020 | 24.4% | 81.6% |
| Riverside High Leesburg | 1,710 | 18.4% | 77.4% |
| Glen Allen High Glen Allen | 1,939 | 30.4% | 75.6% |
| Stone Bridge High Ashburn | 1,629 | 20.1% | 85.0% |
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 South County High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Fairfax County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 71.4% | #196 of 311 | #15 of 24 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 84.0% | #148 of 316 ▲ 20 | #15 of 24 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 93.0% | #47 of 316 ▲ 19 | #9 of 24 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,106 | #49 of 325 | #21 of 27 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.3:1 | #262 of 309 | #20 of 25 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 75.3% | #6 of 309 | #3 of 25 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 23.1% | #281 of 319 | #16 of 26 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.0% | #120 of 178 | #7 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
2,106
-181 (-8%) vs 2020
-26% since 2010-11, when it was 2,860
Student : Teacher
16.3:1
was 16.3:1
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 | 2,106 | 128.9 | 16.3:1 | 23% (486) |
| 2023-24 | 2,200 | 139.9 | 15.7:1 | 24% (524) |
| 2022-23 | 2,273 | 137.8 | 16.5:1 | 23% (526) |
| 2020-21 | 2,287 | 140 | 16.3:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 2,241 | 143.6 | 15.6:1 | 18% (404) |
| 2015-16 | 2,227 | 141 | 15.8:1 | 16% (367) |
| 2010-11 | 2,860 | 144 | 19.9:1 | 16% (464) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South County High.
Since 2017-18: students down 6% (2,241 to 2,106); teachers down 10% (143.6 to 128.9).
About South County High
Among the schools in Lorton, Virginia, is South County High, a large high school. The school serves 2,106 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25. For comparison, high schools in Virginia average about 1,213 students.
South County High is one school in Fairfax County Public Schools, a system of 199 schools with 179,323 students.
At South County High, the largest share of students is White, at 37%. It is also 23% Black, 18% Asian, 15% Hispanic, and 7% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Fairfax County is roughly 49% White. South County High's diversity index is 75%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school has about 16.3 students per teacher and 128.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 2.5 above the 13.9:1 average for high schools in Virginia. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 23%. That is 14 points below the 37% average for public schools in Fairfax County.
allk12 grades South County High a C-. The grade compares the school only with Virginia public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
South County High scores 71.4% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 81.8%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Fairfax County show that the median household income is $153,637, 65% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. South County High is one of 222 public schools in the county.
The shortest distance from South County High to another public school is about 0.3 miles, to Laurel Hill Elementary. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. The nearest schools with test data average 76.8%, higher than South County High's 71.4%.
Locale: Suburb: Large. In NCES terms, the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment at South County High declined 8% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 2,287 to 2,106 students.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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 Lorton
- South County MiddleMiddle · 943 students
- Lorton Station ElementaryElementary · 745 students
- Laurel Hill ElementaryElementary · 743 students
- Gunston ElementaryElementary · 530 students
Nearby schools
- Laurel Hill Elementary0.3 mi · 743
- South County Middle0.5 mi · 943
- Halley Elementary1.1 mi · 608
- Lorton Station Elementary1.3 mi · 745
- Newington Forest Elementary1.5 mi · 579
- Silverbrook Elementary1.8 mi · 799
Frequently asked questions
About South County HighHow many students attend South County High?
South County High enrolls approximately 2,106 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does South County High serve?
South County High serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at South County High?
Approximately 16.3:1 students per teacher at South County High.
What is the student diversity at South County High?
Student demographics at South County High are roughly 37% White, 15% Hispanic, 23% Black, 18% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is South County High in?
South County High is part of Fairfax County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.