OPINION:
Students attending Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest school district in northern Virginia, have the most days off and the fewest five-day school weeks of any other school system in the nation.
Thanks in part to six cultural holidays, a ballooning number of early release days for elementary school students and teacher workdays, students in Fairfax only spend 52% of their school year attending five-day work weeks, the lowest percentage in Fairfax County history and the lowest among the largest school districts in America.
Parents are rightfully frustrated by the inconvenience of scrambling for child care and they’re downright mad at the lack of consistent time frames, schedules and instructional time, which studies have shown produce better academic outcomes.
Roughly a quarter of students in Fairfax failed their 2025 Standards of Learning exams in math, reading and science, according to the Virginia Department of Education. Only five of the county’s 25 high schools have an average SAT score above the minimum points considered acceptable to get into a competitive college.
To address parental concerns, the Fairfax County School Board met this month to discuss its 2026-2027 school calendar. Democrats recommended taking away two federal holidays: Veterans Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day (what they call Columbus Day), to help establish routine.
The recommendation didn’t match what most parents wanted: paring back teacher workdays, early releases or non-federal holidays like Diwali. Most parents don’t have to work on federal holidays and would like to celebrate them with their children.
Yet the progressive school board voted, and it should come as no surprise that they maintained Indigenous Peoples’ Day and eliminated Veterans Day. The decision was a slap in the face to military-connected families, which represent more than 7% of Fairfax’s total student population.
It’s no wonder that the school system is facing a mass exodus. Fairfax County schools experienced the largest decline in student enrollment among Virginia school districts from 2015 to 2020, as parents turn to private education or homeschooling. Fairfax County’s student registration rolls are on pace to shrink an additional 6.6% by 2030, as adjacent school systems are predicted to gain enrollment.
Fairfax County residents and taxpayers deserve better. The school system spends $22,600 per pupil, more than the average annual tuition of $19,000 at any of the county’s 191 private schools.
Fairfax County Public Schools, once nationally renowned for academic excellence, is just another example of how progressive policies fail the constituents they’re supposed to serve.
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