All 195 Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) earned full accreditation for the 2026-27 school year, the second consecutive year every school in the district met the mark.

The share of schools rated "Distinguished" under Virginia's School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF) jumped from 38% to 56%, according to data Superintendent Michelle Reid presented in her Oct. 25 weekly reflections. That means 110 of the district's 195 schools now carry the state's top performance label.

Seventy-five percent of FCPS schools are rated Distinguished or Meets Expectations, compared with 70% statewide, according to accountability data presented at the School Board's Oct. 22 Academic Matters session. Fourteen schools, about 7%, still fall in the "Needs Intensive Support" category.

Accreditation is now based on operational compliance rather than academic outcomes, a change Virginia made in recent years. The SPSF separately measures mastery, growth, graduation and readiness.

Test scores climb

Reading and math pass rates both reached 80% in the latest Standards of Learning assessments. Reid called the reading rate the highest in six years. Math scores have risen 19 percentage points since 2021, and science scores have climbed 11 points over four consecutive years of gains.

Gaps persist. Black students passed reading at 75% and math at 71%, while economically disadvantaged students passed at 61% in reading and 62% in math. Current multilingual learners posted a 33% reading pass rate and 46% in math, though former multilingual learners who gained English proficiency outperformed division averages in both subjects.

Budget award

Separately, FCPS earned the Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) for its fiscal year 2026-27 budget. The district's finance team, led by Chief Financial Officer Leigh Burden, prepared the submission.

"The Meritorious Budget Award recognizes districts like Fairfax County Public Schools that prioritize financial clarity and accountability," Jim Rowan, ASBO International's executive director, said in a district announcement published Sept. 23.

To earn the award, school districts undergo review by finance experts who evaluate budget documents against national criteria, according to the announcement.

The accreditation and performance data released so far do not include school-by-school breakdowns for Vienna-area schools such as James Madison High School, Oakton High School or Thoreau Middle School. FCPS posts individual school ratings on its accountability page as they become available.