Schools

Arlington Public Schools leaders are seeking to help more students earn college degrees in tandem with high school diplomas.

In the spring, 19 students at Arlington Tech — the Governor’s STEM Academy at the Arlington Career Center — received associate’s degrees from Northern Virginia Community College through the program’s dual-enrollment effort.


Schools

Start-of-school enrollment in Arlington is down from a year before and below springtime projections, but could move higher by the time a final tally is compiled at the end of the month.

Arlington Public Schools counted 27,603 students in pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade classes on Sept. 4, Superintendent Francisco Durán reported to School Board members that evening.


Schools

Candidates seeking an open School Board seat are focusing on student achievement, the school system’s budget and the impact of the Trump administration.

“We deserve to get our money’s worth” from funds that support schools, said James “Vell” Rives IV at a Tuesday candidate forum sponsored by the Arlington County Civic Federation.


Schools

A new report from Arlington Public Schools’ internal auditor is raising concerns about how the school system handles student and staff tech equipment.

Inventory control is “unsatisfactory and requires improvement,” the report, detailed to School Board members on Aug. 21, says.


News

Arlington Public Schools is going to court over a $23 million freeze in funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

The school system filed a 30-page complaint today (Friday) challenging the Department of Education’s decision to designate APS and four other Northern Virginia school systems as “high risk” because of a legal dispute about their policies around transgender students.


Schools

Seniors at Washington-Liberty High School kicked off the first day of school today (Monday) with an annual “Senior Sunrise” tradition on the school’s football field.

Students from the class of 2026 began shuffling onto the field around 6 a.m., and by sunrise, about 100 of them had gathered at War Memorial Stadium to celebrate. As they took pictures, lounged on blankets and enjoyed a free breakfast treat, some reflected on what it meant to begin their final year of high school.


Schools

Arlington Public Schools opens the 2025-26 school year with a 99.3% staffing rate, one of the highest in recent memory.

Only 34 staff positions out of more than 3,000 positions are unfilled, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members on Aug. 21.


News

Some students are questioning the logistics of Arlington Public Schools’ plan to roll out locked phone pouches in all of its high schools this school year.

When APS high schoolers go back to school, they’ll be required to lock their phones away in a magnetically sealed pouch for the entirety of the school day. The intended purpose is to combat negative impacts of phones on learning and social-emotional health.


News

It’s almost time for “Friday night lights” in Arlington as the county’s three public high school teams get ready for the upcoming season starting on Aug. 28.

Wakefield, Washington-Liberty and Yorktown are in different stages of development and expectations, but they all play in the Liberty District. That means they will all face one another this season.


Schools

Changes to the online back-to-school packet, updated cellphone policies and planning for projects to support student well-being are coming to Arlington Public Schools this year.

School leaders hope that some of the changes will deliver a smoother process leading up to the first day of class, which begins one week from today on Monday, Aug. 25.


Schools

Defying demands from the U.S. Department of Education, Arlington Public Schools has announced plans to retain its current policy on transgender students’ access to facilities.

In a statement to parents and an accompanying letter to the federal agency, the school system argued that it cannot legally comply with federal attempts to stop letting transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding with their gender identity.


Schools

Artificial-intelligence tools will play a larger role in Arlington Public Schools classrooms and operations in the coming school year.

After a pilot program last year that involved about 400 educators, the school system has selected SchoolAI as its primary artificial-intelligence tool. In addition, staff will have access to Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and NotebookLM for professional use.


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