Half of all county taxes fund FCPS. Hundreds of millions more pay for county services. In return: declining academic performance, a closed government building, a road project a million dollars over budget, and a public health department ignoring the county's biggest health crisis.
Five Fairfax County public high schools have an average SAT score above 1,240 — the minimum needed for competitive college admission.
▼ 35-point county-wide drop 2019–2025 | ▼ 82-point TJ drop in 2025
| 2025 Rank |
High School | 2025 Avg SAT Score |
Percentile* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Jefferson ▼82 pts | 1,436 | 95 |
| 2 | Langley | 1,311 | 87 |
| 3 | McLean | 1,292 | 85 |
| 4 | Woodson | 1,253 | 82 |
| 5 | Oakton | 1,245 | 82 |
| 6 | Madison | 1,232 | 80 |
| 7 | Chantilly | 1,228 | 80 |
| 8 | Marshall | 1,206 | 77 |
| 9 | South Lakes | 1,195 | 76 |
| 10 | Robinson | 1,187 | 75 |
| 11 | Lake Braddock | 1,186 | 75 |
| FCPS Average | 1,183 | 74 | |
| 12 | West Springfield | 1,172 | 73 |
| 13 | Westfield | 1,166 | 72 |
| 14 | Centreville | 1,164 | 72 |
| 15 | Fairfax | 1,156 | 71 |
| 16 | Herndon | 1,143 | 69 |
| 17 | South County | 1,121 | 66 |
| 18 | Hayfield | 1,120 | 66 |
| Virginia Average | 1,112 | 65 | |
| 19 | Edison | 1,101 | 63 |
| 20 | Justice | 1,082 | 60 |
| 21 | West Potomac | 1,065 | 58 |
| 22 | Falls Church | 1,040 | 54 |
| National Average | 1,029 | 53 | |
| 23 | Lewis | 1,029 | 53 |
| 24 | Mount Vernon | 1,027 | 52 |
| 25 | Annandale | 1,002 | 48 |
Despite a $3.3B+ annual budget, FCPS average SAT scores dropped 35 points between 2019 and 2025. Thomas Jefferson — the county's crown jewel — saw an 82-point crash in 2025 alone. Only 5 of 25 high schools score above the 1,240 threshold needed for competitive college admissions. Academic rigor has been replaced by social programming. Half your county taxes fund this.
The Pennino Building — a major county government office building — has been closed until further notice for needed repairs. This is a direct consequence of deferred maintenance. When compensation consumes 96% of new spending, there is nothing left for maintaining the physical infrastructure that residents and county employees depend on.
The Old Courthouse Road realignment project ran more than a million dollars over its original budget — yet another example of county infrastructure projects that cannot be delivered on budget. When routine road projects overrun by seven figures, it signals a systemic failure in project management and cost control.
The county spends heavily on affordable housing programs that have not produced affordable housing at scale. FCTA's practical alternative: create zoning allowances for mobile home parks throughout the county. No new taxes, no new bureaucracy — just regulatory reform that would immediately expand the supply of affordable units.
The Fairfax County public health department focuses on administrative functions and compliance while largely ignoring the chronic disease epidemic — obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease — that is the leading driver of preventable death and disability among county residents. No meaningful prevention programs. No measurable outcomes. No accountability.
Public safety spending has grown alongside compensation costs, but front-line staffing and response times have not improved proportionately. Administrative layers, compensation obligations, and pension costs absorb the budget before it reaches the officers and firefighters residents actually need.