Arlington Public Schools

Arlington Public Schools is a public school division in Arlington County, Virginia. In 2019, student enrollment was 28,020 students, with students coming from more than 146 countries.[2] In 2015, there were 2,166 teachers.[3] There are 24 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 4 high schools, 1 secondary institution and 4 other educational programs within the school district.[2]

This page is about the schools of Arlington County, Virginia. For other Arlingtons, see Arlington Public Schools (disambiguation).

Arlington Public Schools
Address
2110 Washington Blvd

Arlington
,
Virginia
22204

United States
Information
TypePublic, school division
School boardTannia Talento, Chair
Monique O'Grady, Vice Chair
Reid Goldstein, Barbara Kanninen, Nancy Van Doren
School districtArlington County
SuperintendentFrancisco Durán[1]
GradesPre-K–12
Enrollment28,020 (2019)
Websitehttp://www.apsva.us/

Forbes magazine named the Washington, D.C. and Arlington area as the top place in the nation to educate one's child in 2007.[4]

In fiscal year 2019, close to $637.1 million was budgeted for the school district.[2]

History

The first public schools in Arlington County, Virginia (then known as Alexandria County) were established in 1870: the Columbia and Walker schools, which were for whites only, and the Arlington School for Negroes in Freedman’s Village, which was located on land seized from Robert E. Lee's plantation. In 1932, Hoffman-Boston Junior High School, opened, allowing black students to pursue education past primary school in Arlington for the first time.[5] However, since Hoffman-Boston was not accredited until the 1950s, many black Arlingtonians commuted to Washington, DC to pursue secondary education. In 1947, the NAACP sued the Arlington School Board for not providing equal educational facilities to black students in Constance Carter v. The School Board of Arlington County, Virginia. In 1950, the courts ruled in the NAACP's favor. As a result, increased funding was earmarked to the segregated schools for black students and black teachers began receiving equal pay.[6]

In 1949, after advocacy from a local citizen's group, Arlingtonians for a Better County, Arlington's school board became the first in Virginia to be democratically elected rather than appointed.[7][5]

In 1954, after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, all public schools in the United States were required to desegregate. The political leaders of Virginia and the Virginia General Assembly, led by United States Senator Harry F. Byrd, adopted a policy of "massive resistance" to desegregation. Under massive resistance, schools that desegregated would be closed and students would be given money to attend private schools until the schools could be resegregated.[7] Ten days after the Brown ruling, the Arlington County School board began a committee to research how to comply with the ruling.[8] In January 1956, a plan to gradually desegregate Arlington's public schools was released by the committee. Less than a month later, the Virginia General Assembly voted to remove Arlington of its democratically elected school board, which the more conservative Arlington County Board replaced with officials more sympathetic to segregation.[5] The integration plan was overturned by the new school board.[7] That same year, the NAACP, on behalf of black and white students and their families, sued the new school board in an attempt to compel them to integrate in Clarissa Thompson v. the County School Board of Arlington, which was filed concurrently with other integration lawsuits around Virginia.[5]

Many white racial moderates feared that the Board would close public schools rather than allow them to be desegregated. On May 1, 1958, the Arlington Committee to Preserve Public Schools, an all-white group dedicated to preventing the closure of public schools, which was neutral on segregation, was formed.[5]

Historical marker at the site of Stratford Junior High School, now the site of Dorothy Hamm Middle School.

On January 19, 1959, the Supreme Court of Virginia effectively ended massive resistance by ruling in James v. Almond that public school closures in violated of the Constitution of Virginia.[9][10][11] On January 22, the Arlington County School Board announced that Stratford Junior High would be the first school to be desegregated. On February 2, four black students- Ronald Deskins, Michael Jones, Gloria Thompson and Lance Newman- arrived at Stratford, protected by nearly 100 police officers, hoping to avoid what had happened to the Little Rock Nine. The desegregation of Stratford, the first public school in Virginia to be desegregated, ultimately passed without incident, and an Anti-Defamation League newsletter declared it "The Day Nothing Happened".[12][5][13] With this, Arlington County became the first school system in Virginia to desegregate.[14][15]

Arlington's public schools gradually continued to integrate, although courts only approved of its pupil placement system as being racially neutral in 1971, twelve years after desegregation began. School dances and athletic events were ended in 1959 by the Arlington County School Board after integration began. Athletic events were reinstated in 1961, but school dances were held privately for years afterwards. Hoffman-Boston Junior-Senior High School closed in 1964 and its students were placed in formerly all-white schools. By 1969, all Arlington high schools were desegregated. The only two schools to remain almost completely segregated were Drew Elementary School and Hoffman-Boston Elementary School. In the case John E. Hart et al. v. County School Board of Arlington County, Virginia, parents of Drew Elementary School students sued the Arlington County School Board for further integration. The School Board announced a plan, which the courts approved of, to bus Drew and Hoffman-Boston Elementary School students to other elementary schools around Arlington.[5]

Arlington's school board was eventually allowed to be democratically elected again, rather than be appointed by the Arlington County Board.

In the wake of the August 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia, deadly white supremacist rally protesting the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, the Arlington County School Board voted unanimously in June 2018 to rename Washington-Lee High School to remove Lee's name,[16][17] sparking outrage among many in the community.[18] In the months prior to the name change, the Arlington County school board narrowed several options to "Washington-Loving High School", their top choice in honor of the Loving v. Virginia court case, and "Washington-Liberty High School". On January 10, 2019, the school board voted unanimously for the latter name.[19]

In 2019, Arlington Public Schools celebrated the 60th anniversary of desegregation in Arlington.[20][21]

Schools

Elementary schools
Nottingham Elementary School in Arlington County, Virginia in 2011
Main article: Elementary Schools of Arlington County, Virginia
  • Abingdon Elementary School
  • Alice West Fleet Elementary School (formerly Patrick Henry Elementary School)[22]
  • Arlington Science Focus Elementary School
  • Arlington Traditional School
  • Ashlawn Elementary School
  • Barcroft Elementary School
  • Barrett Elementary School
  • Campbell Elementary School (formerly Glencarlyn)[22]
  • Carlin Springs Elementary School
  • Claremont Immersion Elementary School
  • Discovery Elementary School
  • Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School
  • Glebe Elementary School
  • Hoffman-Boston Elementary School
  • Jamestown Elementary School
  • Key Immersion Elementary School
  • Long Branch Elementary School
  • McKinley Elementary School
  • Montessori Public School of Arlington
  • Nottingham Elementary School
  • Oakridge Elementary School
  • Randolph Elementary School
  • Taylor Elementary School
  • Tuckahoe Elementary School

Middle schools
Main article: Middle Schools of Arlington County, Virginia
  • Dorothy Hamm Middle School[23][24]
  • Gunston Middle School
  • Kenmore Middle School
  • Swanson Middle School
  • Thomas Jefferson Middle School
  • Williamsburg Middle School

High schools

Alternative programs
  • Arlington Community High School - a fully accredited alternative high school for students whose life circumstances have interrupted their schooling; formerly known as Arlington Mill High School
  • H-B Woodlawn - an alternative secondary program where students control much of their education and do not have “continuous adult supervision.”
  • Langston High School Continuation Program - offers students flexibility in the way and timeframe in which students can earn a high school diploma.
  • New Directions - a program designed for 30-35 students with behavioral difficulties that provides support for responsible decision making and on-time graduation
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program (formerly the Stratford Program) - a secondary school for Arlington Public School students who have special needs.
  • Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST)

Former schools

Students

In 2019, there was a total student enrollment of 28,020 students, with students coming from more than 146 countries and speaking 107 different languages. Arlington Public Schools has a 95% graduation rate.[2]

In 2009, the student body was 48% white, 26% Latino, 13% black and 11% Asian.[3]

In 2019, the student body was 46% white, 28% Hispanic, 10% black and 9% Asian, with American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Multiple backgrounds comprising the remaining 7%.[2]

Teachers

As of 2019, teachers are paid an average salary of $74,554 per year.[2]

In 2009, there were 2,166 teachers, of which 78% were white, 10% were black, 8% were Hispanic and 3% were Asian.[3]

Arlington County School Board
  • Tannia Talento, Chair[26]
  • Monique O’Grady, Vice-Chair
  • Reid Goldstein, Member
  • Dr. Barbara Kanninen, Member
  • Nancy Van Doren, Member
  • Melanie Elliott, Clerk of the School Board
  • Claudia Mercado, Deputy Clerk[2]

Special facilities
David M. Brown Planetarium in 2017

The David M. Brown Planetarium is operated by Arlington Schools Planetarium for both Arlington school field trips and public multimedia programs. It offers shows for the general public Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the school year.[27] The planetarium is named for astronaut David M. Brown, a graduate of Arlington's Yorktown High School who was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.

The Arlington Outdoor Lab is a 225-acre outdoor facility operated by Arlington Schools and located in Fauquier County.[28] In addition to a large classroom building, the lab facility has a pond, streams, small mountains, and forested areas.

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References
  1. "Superintendent's Office". Arlington Public Schools. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  2. Arlington Public Schools. "APS Quick Facts" (PDF). apsva.us.
  3. McCaffrey, Scott (11 September 2010). "School Officials See Positive Strides in Teacher Diversity". insidenova.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  4. "Where to Educate Your Children". Forbes. 12 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  5. "The Story of Arlington Public School Desegregation". library.arlingtonva.us. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  6. "1950: Constance Carter v. School Board of Arlington County · Project DAPS: The Desegregation of Arlington Public Schools · Project DAPS". projectdaps.org. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  7. Shaver, Les (15 October 2013). "Crossing The Divide". Arlington Magazine. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  8. Annette (4 February 2019). "Forging the Way: A Timeline from Brown v. Board of Education to Arlington Public School Desegregation". Arlington Historical Society. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  9. "Elizabeth and Edmund Campbell". WETA.
  10. "JAMES v. ALMOND | 170 F.Supp. 331 (1959) | supp3311432 | Leagle.com". Leagle.
  11. "When Arlington Did the Right Thing". library.arlingtonva.us. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  12. WETA. "It Happened Here First: Arlington Students Integrate Virginia Schools". Boundary Stones: WETA's Washington DC History Blog. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  13. Schweitzer, Ally (8 March 2017). "A Tale Of Two Virginias: When Arlington Defied The State And Integrated Its Public Schools". WAMU. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  14. "Project DAPS: The Desegregation of Arlington Public Schools · Project DAPS". projectdaps.org. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  15. "Locals remember the desegregation of Virginia public schools 60 years later". www.wusa9.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  16. Balingit, Moriah (18 August 2017). "In the wake of Charlottesville, a call to change the name of Arlington's Washington-Lee High". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  17. Koma, Alex (8 June 2018). "Washington-Lee High School to be Renamed". ArlNow. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  18. "W-L Name Change Opponents Claim New Recording Strengthens Legal Challenge". ARLnow.com - Arlington, Va. Local News. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  19. "Washington-Lee High School in Arlington renamed Washington-Liberty". 11 January 2019.
  20. "APS Desegregation 60th Anniversary Tribute". Arlington Public Schools. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  21. Balingit, Moriah (6 February 2016). "First school in Va. to desegregate marks anniversary of integration - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  22. Writer, SCOTT McCAFFREY, Staff. "Educator could be namesake of new Arlington elementary school". INSIDENOVA.COM.
  23. "About Dorothy Hamm Middle School". Dorothy Hamm Middle School.
  24. "School Board Names New Middle School for Dorothy Hamm, Ditches Any Reference to Stratford School". 21 December 2018.
  25. "Other Contributing Buildings, Fairlington Historic District" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places.
  26. "School Board Members". www.apsva.us. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  27. "David M. Brown Planetarium FAQs". Arlington County Public Schools. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  28. "About the Outdoor Lab and AOEA". www.outdoorlab.org. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
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