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What's the one class at WEST POTOMAC HIGH every student should take?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,710
High
DISTRICT 2,257 · STATE 1,213
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510126000489
West Potomac High
6500 Quander Rd, Alexandria, VA 22307 · (703) 718-2500 · Fairfax County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,710 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 3% of Virginia public high schools
- DTest 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
12.9:1
210 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
49%
1,316 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 | 672 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 661 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 712 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 665 | 25% |
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
76.0%
VA avg 74.2% . -7.0pp since 2022
Math
70.0%
VA avg 72.7% . -7.0pp 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 70 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 7 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 7 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 76.0% | 70.0% |
| 2023-24 | 84.0% | 80.0% |
| 2022-23 | 83.0% | 77.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of VA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
59.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
74.9%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-15.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 59% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 75% typical for Virginia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 West Potomac High
West Potomac High's state test result (59.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Potomac High this school | 2,710 | 48.6% | 59.3% |
| Wakefield High Arlington | 2,646 | 48.0% | 67.8% |
| North Stafford High Stafford | 1,982 | 47.8% | 74.6% |
| Herndon High Herndon | 2,261 | 49.5% | 63.7% |
| Millbrook High Winchester | 1,550 | 47.4% | 65.5% |
| Mount Vernon High Alexandria | 1,858 | 57.1% | 56.8% |
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 West Potomac High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Fairfax County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 59.3% | #287 of 311 | #23 of 24 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 70.0% | #262 of 316 ▼ 72 | #23 of 24 ▼ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 76.0% | #267 of 316 ▼ 107 | #23 of 24 ▼ 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,710 | #11 of 325 | #7 of 27 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.9:1 | #101 of 309 | #10 of 25 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.0% | #50 of 309 | #12 of 25 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 48.6% | #207 of 319 | #8 of 26 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.9% | #111 of 131 | #11 of 12 |
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
2,710
+46 (+2%) vs 2020
+89% since 1990-91, when it was 1,432
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 14.6:1
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 | 2,710 | 210.5 | 12.9:1 | 49% (1,316) |
| 2023-24 | 2,681 | 171.9 | 15.6:1 | 49% (1,311) |
| 2022-23 | 2,764 | 165.5 | 16.7:1 | 48% (1,319) |
| 2020-21 | 2,664 | 183 | 14.6:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 2,660 | 171.1 | 15.6:1 | 39% (1,043) |
| 2015-16 | 2,541 | 169 | 15.0:1 | 39% (985) |
| 2010-11 | 2,285 | 112 | 20.4:1 | 35% (790) |
| 2000-01 | 1,826 | 133 | 13.7:1 | 26% (473) |
| 1990-91 | 1,432 | 97 | 14.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Potomac High.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (2,660 to 2,710); teachers up 23% (171.1 to 210.5).
About West Potomac High
West Potomac High is a large high school located in Alexandria, Virginia. In all, 2,710 students attend the school in grades 9 through 12. That is 123% larger than the average of about 1,213 students for high schools in Virginia.
West Potomac High is one school in Fairfax County Public Schools, a system of 199 schools with 179,323 students.
About 43% of students at West Potomac High are Hispanic, the largest single group. Other reported shares: 30% White, 16% Black, 5% Asian, and 4% multiracial. Fairfax County's residents are about 18% Hispanic, 25 points below the school's share. A diversity index of 69% means there is a 69% chance two randomly chosen students at West Potomac High are from different groups.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 12.9:1. The school has 210.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. The gap from the 13.9:1 average for high schools in Virginia is 1.0 students per teacher. In all, 49% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is 12 points above the 37% average for public schools in Fairfax County.
Among Virginia public high schools, West Potomac High outscored 3%, which works out to an F on the allk12 Grade.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, West Potomac High is in the bottom 10% of Virginia schools: 59.3% actual against 74.9% predicted.
Census data for Fairfax County show median household income comes to about $153,637, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 65%, and about 4% of people live in poverty. There are 222 public schools in the county, enrolling about 174,475, West Potomac High among them.
Bucknell Elementary is the nearest public school to West Potomac High, about 0.5 miles away. West Potomac High is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. The nearest schools with test data average 52.4%, lower than West Potomac High's 59.3%.
West Potomac High falls in the Suburb: Large locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 2,664 in 2020-21 and 2,710 in 2024-25. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio dropped to 12.9:1, from 14.6:1.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on special education services, counseling, and support programs here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
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 Alexandria
- Alexandria City HighHigh · 4,655 students
- Hayfield SecondaryHigh · 3,256 students
- Edison HighHigh · 2,294 students
- Thomas Jefferson High for Science and TechnologyHigh · 2,108 students
- Mount Vernon HighHigh · 1,858 students
- Glasgow MiddleMiddle · 1,702 students
Nearby schools
- Bucknell Elementary0.5 mi · 319
- Belle View Elementary0.6 mi · 419
- Mount Eagle Elementary0.8 mi · 361
- Bryant High0.8 mi · 154
- Groveton Elementary1.3 mi · 764
- Hybla Valley Elementary1.4 mi · 878
Frequently asked questions
About West Potomac HighWhat is the total enrollment at West Potomac High?
West Potomac High enrolls approximately 2,710 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does West Potomac High serve?
West Potomac High serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does West Potomac High have?
West Potomac High employs 210 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.9:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at West Potomac High?
At West Potomac High, the student body is approximately 30% White, 43% Hispanic, 16% Black, 5% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is West Potomac High public or private?
West Potomac High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Fairfax County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.