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.
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| 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 Academic rigor has been replaced by social programming.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)