Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) is a

school division {{Use mdy dates, date=July 2023 A school division is a geographic division over which a school board has jurisdiction. Canada In Canada the term is used for the area controlled by a school board and is used interchangeably with school district, i ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

with its headquarters in the Kelly Leadership Center located in the unincorporated community of

Independent Hill Independent Hill is an unincorporated town in Prince William County, Virginia, Prince William County, Virginia. It is located along State Route 234 (Virginia), State Route 234 at the intersection with Virginia State Route 619 (Prince William Count ...

Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204, making it Virginia's second most populous county. The county seat is the independent city of Manassas. A part ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 486,943. Prince William County Public Schools is the second largest school division in Virginia with 91,180 students. Prince William County Public Schools is the fourth largest school system in the

Washington Metropolitan Area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

after the

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...

;

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat is Rockville, Maryland ...

; and

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

school systems, and the 33rd largest school system in the United States. The county system serves all parts of the county except for

Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southe ...

, which is served by the

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...

Administration

Superintendent

The Superintendent of Prince William County Public Schools is Dr. LaTanya D. McDade, replacing Dr. Steven Walts. She is the first woman and the first African-American superintendent in the district's history. Prior to her appointment in 2021, she was the Chief Education Officer for

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, fourth-large ...

. In 2024, she was selected as Virginia Region IV Superintendent of the Year.

School Board

Prince William County Public Schools is governed by the Prince William County School Board. The school board is composed of eight elected members. One member is elected by the citizens of each of the seven magisterial districts also used to elect the

Prince William Board of County Supervisors The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is the policy-making body for the government of Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the popul ...

, while the Chairmen At-Large is elected by all citizens in the county. A Vice Chair is elected by the school board members each January. School board members serve four-year terms, with the next election being held in November 2023. Two non voting student representatives are selected each school year to serve and provide input from a students perspective on decisions made by the school board. A Student Senate is made up of one student from each high school who applied for the student representative position. They work together with the student representatives to advise the school board.

Schools

High schools

Battlefield High School Battlefield High School is a public high school within the Gainesville District of unincorporated Prince William County, Virginia, United States, and is part of the Prince William County Public Schools. The school is located north of the town ...

Brentsville District High School Brentsville District High School, commonly known as Brentsville, is a public high school in Nokesville in unincorporated Prince William County, Virginia, United States, and part of Prince William County Public Schools. It is the only high s ...

* Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School * Forest Park High School * Freedom High School * Gainesville High School * Gar-Field High School * Hylton High School *

Osbourn Park High School Osbourn Park High School is a Prince William County, Virginia public high school in a small county island between the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, southwest of Washington D.C. Osbourn Park serves the mid-part of the county. Osbourn ...

* Patriot High School * Potomac High School *

Unity Reed High School Unity Reed High School is a public secondary school in Bull Run, Prince William County, Virginia, near the city of Manassas. It was formerly known as Stonewall Jackson High School; the school was renamed in 2020. History and administration ...

* Woodbridge High School

Middle schools

*Louise A. Benton Middle School *Stuart M. Beville Middle School *Bull Run Middle School *Fred M. Lynn Middle School *Gainesville Middle School *Graham Park Middle School *George M. Hampton Middle School (Formerly Mills E. Godwin Middle School) *Lake Ridge Middle School *Emlyn H. Marsteller Middle School *Parkside Middle School *Potomac Middle School *Potomac Shores Middle School *Ronald Wilson Reagan Middle School *Rippon Middle School *Herbert J. Saunders Middle School *Unity Braxton Middle School (formerly Stonewall Middle School; renamed during the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

) *Woodbridge Middle School

Traditional Schools (K-8)

*The Nokesville School *Pennington Traditional School *Mary G. Porter Traditional School

Elementary schools

*James W. Alvey Elementary School *Antietam Elementary School *Ashland Elementary School *Bel Air Elementary School *Belmont Elementary School *Maitland C. Bennett Elementary School *Bristow Run Elementary School *Buckland Mills Elementary School *Cedar Point Elementary School *Chris Yung Elementary School *Coles Elementary School *Covington-Harper Elementary School *Dale City Elementary School *Dumfries Elementary School *Suella Gilbert Ellis Elementary School *Enterprise Elementary School *Featherstone Elementary School *Fannie W. Fitzgerald Elementary School *Glenkirk Elementary School *Samuel L. Gravely Elementary School *Haymarket Elementary School *Alexander Henderson Elementary School *Innovation Elementary School *John D. Jenkins Elementary School *Kerrydale Elementary School *R. Dean Kilby Elementary School *Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School *Lake Ridge Elementary School *Leesylvania Elementary School *Loch Lomond Elementary School *Thurgood Marshall Elementary School *Marumsco Hills Elementary School *Sharon C. McAuliffe Elementary School *Minnieville Elementary School *Montclair Elementary School *Mountain View Elementary School *Mullen Elementary School *Neabsco Elementary School *Occoquan Elementary School *Old Bridge Elementary School *John F. Pattie Sr. Elementary School *Sonnie P. Penn Elementary School *Piney Branch Elementary School *Potomac View Elementary School *River Oaks Elementary School *Rockledge Elementary School *Rosa Parks Elementary School *Signal Hill Elementary School *Charles A. Sinclair Elementary School *Springwoods Elementary School *Sudley Elementary School *Swans Creek Elementary School *T. Clay Wood Elementary School *Triangle Elementary School *George Grayson Tyler Elementary School *Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School *Victory Elementary School *Washington-Reid Elementary School *West Gate Elementary School *Westridge Elementary School *Mary Williams Elementary School *Kyle R. Wilson Elementary School *Yorkshire Elementary School

Other

Prince William County provides an "alternative" school service for what they deem as "troubled teens". Students who become pregnant, sell or use drugs, write graffiti, have general behavioral issues or are prone to violence are usually sent to learn together in the same facility, regardless of their base school. The PACE program targets students with more extreme cases of psychological issues. * Independent Hill School/PACE East, special education school for middle & high school students *New Directions Alternative School, special school for students who are not successful in their base school *New Dominion Alternative School, special school for middle school students *PACE West, a special education school providing services to students with serious emotional and behavior problems *

Pennington Traditional School Pennington Traditional School is a public school located in Manassas, Virginia. It is one of the three traditional schools of Prince William County Public Schools. The facility enrolls students from grade 1–8, and serves the communities of Mana ...

, a school for first through eighth graders ormerly a high school, grades 9-12*Porter Traditional School, specialty school for first through eighth graders *Woodbine Preschool Center, a center for preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities *East End Alternative, now defunct. Previously located at a Woodbridge Boys and Girls Club. The student body was migrated to Pennington Alternative School in the mid-1990s.

Future Schools

* "Woodbridge Area" Elementary School is set to open for the 2025-26 school year

Schools of excellence

Prince William County Public Schools honors schools as Schools of Excellence based on a variety of criteria, including: performance targets;

Adequate Yearly Progress Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allowed the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country was performing ...

under the

No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a 2002 United States Act of Congress promoted by the presidential administration of George W. Bush. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and included Title I provisio ...

; Virginia Wellness Tests; school attendance rates; and parent, student, and teacher satisfaction. The

state

Standards of Learning The Standards of Learning (SOL) is a public school standardized testing program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It sets forth learning and achievement expectations for core subjects for grades K-12 in Virginia's Public Schools. The standards repres ...

(SOL) tests for both students on grade level and students below grade level are also considered. In 2006, the criteria were adjusted to reflect the continuous improvement of the system's schools. School administration and staff are presented with a commemorative flag, a plaque, and a check to be used at the school's discretion. Schools receive $1,000 for each year the School of Excellence designation is obtained.

References

External links

Prince William County Public SchoolsSchool DirectoryOfficial Website of Prince William County Government
{{Authority control County government agencies in Virginia School divisions in Virginia Northern Virginia

Public Schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...