Fairfax Co
Taxpayer's
Alliance

3. What We Get: School SAT Drops and Closed Buildings

3. What We Get: School SAT Drops and Closed Buildings

Half of all county taxes fund FCPS. Hundreds of millions more pay for county services. In return: declining academic performance, a closed government building, a road project a million dollars over budget, and a public health department ignoring the county's biggest health crisis.

Only five Fairfax County Public Schools have an average SAT score above 1,240 -- the minimum needed for competitive college admission. There has been a county-wide 35-point drop from 2019 to 2025. TJ experienced an 82-point drop in 2025 due to new woke admission policies.

 2025                  2025 AVG
 RANK  HIGH SCHOOL     SAT SCORE PERCENTILE*
   1   Thomas Jefferson  1,436      95
   2   Langley           1,311      87
   3   McLean            1,292      85
   4   Woodson           1,253      82
   5   Oakton            1,245      82
   6   Madison           1,232      80
   7   Chantilly         1,228      80
   8   Marshall          1,206      77
   9   South Lakes       1,195      76
  10   Robinson          1,187      75
  11   Lake Braddock     1,186      75
       FCPS Average      1,183      74
  12   West Springfield  1,172      73
  13   Westfield         1,166      72
  14   Centreville       1,164      72
  15   Fairfax           1,156      71
  16   Herndon           1,143      69
  17   South County      1,121      66
  18   Hayfield          1,120      66
       Virginia Average  1,112      65
  19   Edison            1,101      63
  20   Justice           1,082      60
  21   West Potomac      1,065      58
  22   Falls Church      1,040      54
       National Average  1,029      53
  23   Lewis             1,029      53
  24   Mount Vernon      1,027      52
  25   Annandale         1,002      48

 *% of 2,004,965 SAT takers who scored lower.

F FCPS Academic Performance
Despite a $3.3B+ annual budget, FCPS average SAT scores dropped 35 points between 2019 and 2025. Thomas Jefferson -- the county's crown jewel -- saw an 82-point crash in 2025 alone. Only 5 of 25 high schools score above the 1,240 threshold needed for competitive college admissions. Academic rigor has been replaced by social programming. Half your county taxes fund this.

F The Pennino Building -- Closed for Repairs
The Pennino Building -- a major county government office building -- has been closed until further notice for needed repairs. This is a direct consequence of deferred maintenance. When compensation consumes 96% of new spending, there is nothing left for maintaining the physical infrastructure that residents and county employees depend on.

D Old Courthouse Road -- $1M+ Over Budget
The Old Courthouse Road realignment project ran more than a million dollars over its original budget -- yet another example of county infrastructure projects that cannot be delivered on budget. When routine road projects overrun by seven figures, it signals a systemic failure in project management and cost control.

F Affordable Housing -- Programs That Don't Work
The county spends heavily on affordable housing programs that have not produced affordable housing at scale. FCTA's practical alternative: create zoning allowances for mobile home parks throughout the county. No new taxes, no new bureaucracy -- just regulatory reform that would immediately expand the supply of affordable units.

D Public Health -- Ignoring the Chronic Disease Epidemic
The Fairfax County public health department focuses on administrative functions and compliance while largely ignoring the chronic disease epidemic -- obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease -- that is the leading driver of preventable death and disability among county residents. No meaningful prevention programs. No measurable outcomes. No accountability.

D Public Safety -- Administrative Bloat Over Front-Line Service
Public safety spending has grown alongside compensation costs, but front-line staffing and response times have not improved proportionately. Administrative layers, compensation obligations, and pension costs absorb the budget before it reaches the officers and firefighters residents actually need.

(NEXT: The Solution)