Fairfax County Public Schools will install a room-temperature quantum computer at Skyview High School in December, in what the district calls the world's first K-12 quantum computer.

FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid announced the partnership at the Quantum World Congress on Saturday, Sept. 26. As the Ledger reported Sept. 25, the district is working with Connected DMV, a regional tech nonprofit, and the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) to bring the machine to the new Herndon-area high school, according to FCPS.

Skyview sits in the Centreville pyramid, but students from the Oakton, Chantilly, South Lakes and Westfield pyramids were allowed to opt in for the 2026-27 school year. Access to the quantum program depends on enrollment at Skyview, so Vienna-area families in the Oakton pyramid who opted in could see their students working with the machine.

The hardware comes from Leipzig-based startup XeedQ GmbH. The company's XQ1e processor uses diamond-based qubits that operate at room temperature, Quantum Computing Report reported. The 4-qubit machine draws 500 watts from a standard wall outlet and is roughly the size of a small refrigerator. No cryogenic cooling is required.

Student learning experiences are set to begin in spring 2027. FCPS said students will explore quantum concepts, test scheduling-optimization problems and compare how quantum and traditional computers approach the same task. The program will start as a quantum computing pathway and may eventually grow into a credit-bearing course with dual-enrollment opportunities, though that expansion is not confirmed.

"Putting a working quantum computer in a public high school gives Fairfax County students hands-on access to a technology most people only read about," FCEDA President and CEO George D. Thomas said at the congress. "The quantum companies growing in Greater Washington … will hire from this generation, and we intend to have them ready."

The announcement lands days after George Mason University unveiled a Virginia Quantum Hub backed by a $3.7 million GO Virginia grant, Patch reported. Connected DMV is a founding partner of that hub as well, linking the K-12 program to a broader regional push to build a quantum workforce in Northern Virginia.

FCPS said Skyview is expected to become a regional center for quantum learning through Connected DMV's Potomac Quantum Innovation Center, connecting students with universities, federal laboratories and other school systems across Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Installation is scheduled for December, with student programs beginning in spring 2027. Families interested in the quantum pathway should confirm their student's enrollment status at Skyview.