Woodson High

Woodson High is a large, comprehensive public high school in Fairfax, Virginia, serving 2,436 students in grades 9–12 as part of Fairfax County Public Schools. The school ranks 33rd out of 331 Virginia high schools with a 5-star rating, making it one of the top-performing schools in the state. Its 2024–2025 graduation rate of 98.1% comfortably exceeds the district rate of 92.7% and the state rate of 92.3%, while its dropout rate of just 1.1% is well below the district's 5.1%. Among nearby schools, only Madison High (ranked 29th) slightly outranks Woodson, with Oakton High (41st) and West Springfield High (46th) close behind.

Woodson students post outstanding test scores, especially in math and reading. Ninth-grade Algebra I proficiency is nearly 98%, and 9th-grade Geometry proficiency is 97.88%—both far above state averages. Eleventh-grade English reading proficiency stands at 94.76%. The one notable exception is 10th-grade Biology, where proficiency (60.47%) falls below the state average (68.86%)—an unusual outlier for such a high-achieving school. Chronic absenteeism has fallen steadily from a pandemic-era spike of 25.6% in 2021–2022 to 12.0% in 2024–2025, matching the district average. The school also maintains a favorable 12.5-to-1 student–teacher ratio and spends $11,221 per student—less than nearby schools serving higher-poverty populations.

Woodson's student body has a relatively low poverty rate, with just 14.2% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 71.2% at nearby Annandale High and 65.9% at Falls Church High. The contrast in outcomes is significant: Annandale's graduation rate is 88.7% and Falls Church's is 88.3%. Woodson also earns strong statewide subgroup rankings, including a top-20 placement for students with disabilities and a top-15 ranking for white students. The school demonstrated strong pandemic recovery, rebounding from a rank of 148 in 2020–2021 to the top 30 by 2022–2023, where it has remained since.