School safety
District profile / Virginia
Fairfax County Public Schools
179,323
Students
2024-25 school year
223
Schools
2024-25 school year
$16,976
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 33% above the Virginia median
13.3
Students per teacher
2024-25 · Virginia median 13.3
Fairfax County Public Schools is a public school district based in Falls Church, Virginia, serving 179,323 students in 223 schools. By enrollment it ranks #1 of the 117 Virginia districts with 1,000 or more students, making it the largest in the state. Its schools average 804 students each, more than the Virginia median of 509. It spends about $16,976 per student on day-to-day operations, 33% more than the Virginia median. It has roughly 13.3 students per teacher. We've matched 12 news stories to the district.
How Fairfax County compares
Fairfax CountyVirginia median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$3.29 billion in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 6%State 24%Local 70%
| Measure | Fairfax County | Virginia median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $16,976 | $12,729 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $10,788 | $7,559 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $3.29 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $3.29 billion | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 13,500 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 29,703 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 13.3 | 13.3 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 300 | 290 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Virginia median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
In the news
12 stories matchedSchool safety
Fairfax County Schools Launches Swimming, Water Safety Program For Students
Leadership
A heated Fairfax County school board meeting put parental rights at the center of the education debate. #TrueCrimeStories #SpreadTheLove
Teaching & learning
Virginia’s Fairfax County Public Schools working to ‘adjust in real time’ to plunging enrollment
Teaching & learning
Fairfax County school district sees enrollment decline
Teaching & learning
Virginia’s Fairfax County Public Schools builds bridges to quantum computing
Teaching & learning
Fairfax County Public Schools Show How Not To Manage Shrinking Enrollment
Teaching & learning
Fairfax County Public Schools enrollment declines by thousands
Technology & AI
Fairfax County Public Schools to build customized Chrome version to rein in AI use
School safety
Teachers demand end to weapons monitoring duty in Fairfax County Public Schools
Technology & AI
New Safe Walking App Piloted At 14 Fairfax County Public Schools
Technology & AI
Fairfax Co. students launch AI tool to summarize school board meetings
Peer districts in Virginia
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County Public SchoolsFalls Church · this district | 179,323 | 223 | $16,976 | 13.3 | #1 |
| Prince William County Public SchoolsManassas | 90,242 | 98 | $13,020 | 15.2 | #2 |
| Loudoun County Public SchoolsAshburn | 81,486 | 102 | $17,393 | 12.1 | #3 |
| Virginia Beach City Public SchoolsVirginia Beach | 64,731 | 88 | $12,869 | 14.3 | #4 |
| Chesterfield County Public SchoolsChesterfield | 64,194 | 73 | $10,886 | 13.5 | #5 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| School District of Palm Beach CountyWest Palm Beach, FL | 189,634 | $11,509 | 16.4 |
| Gwinnett CountyLawrenceville, GA | 182,518 | $11,482 | 14.3 |
| Houston ISDHouston, TX | 176,727 | $10,446 | 16.1 |
| Hawaii Department of EducationHonolulu, HI | 167,071 | $16,550 | 13.7 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-va-fairfax-county-public-schools