Redistricting Proposal Affecting Madison High School Boundary Prompts Petition

VIENNA, VA — A redistricting proposal affecting how much of the Town of Vienna is within the Madison High School boundary prompted a petition against the change.

All of the Town of Vienna sits within the Madison High School boundary. However, a new boundary option proposed under Fairfax County Public Schools' boundary review process would take a portion of northeastern Vienna near the Westwood Country Club.

The option that would move part of Vienna from Madison High School to Marshall High School is Scenario 4. However, a small portion outside of town limits would be added to Madison High School's attendance zone. Marshall High School, located on Route 7 between Falls Church and Tysons, currently covers some areas outside of town limits with Vienna addresses, among other communities.

Per Fairfax County School Board policy, the boundary changes would be mandatory for incoming freshman, but sophomores, juniors and seniors would have the option to remain at their current school or transfer to the other one.

A meeting discussing the Madison, Marshall and Falls Church High School boundaries was held on Oct. 16 at Falls Church High School. The presentation noted an estimated 91 students would be reassigned from Madison to Marshall, and an estimated 128 students would be reassigned from Marshall to Madison. Another meeting on the Madison High School and McLean High School pyramids will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 29 at McLean High School in person and virtually.

A community petition started on Change.org Scenario 4 by splitting up the Town of Vienna into two schools. The petition noted some families chose to locate in the Town of Vienna because of Madison High School.

"These changes dismantle the support systems that families have built within the town," the petition stated. "The majority of a child's formative years are spent within the local schools, participating in extracurricular activities through Vienna, and forming lifelong friendships. Madison High School's boundary should remain inclusive of the entire Town of Vienna, supporting the small-town connections that are vital to our children's well-being."

Maps of the proposed Scenarios 3 and 4 visualize how the boundaries would shift from the current boundaries. Madison High School's proposed boundary is pictured in yellow, and Marshall High School's boundary is in magenta.

FCPS said this is the first "comprehensive boundary review" in nearly four decades and will address student population growth, school capacity changes and more factors. According to the school district, Scenarios 1, 2 and 3 were first shared in the spring. The first two scenarios addressed attendance islanders and split feeders, respectively, while Scenario 3 tackled overcrowding and the other issues. Scenario 4 resulted from community feedback with guidance from the superintendent's Boundary Review Advisory Committee.

Residents can leave comments within the redistricting map tool through Nov. 14. Feedback will be incorporated into the advisory committee's review before a recommendation goes to the FCPS superintendent.

The final decision is up to the Fairfax County School Board. The approval process is expected in December 2025 to January 2026.