Elite Virginia high school's admissions policy under Trump admin scrutiny amid discrimination complaints

One of the nation's most highly ranked high schools is once again in the spotlight over its admissions policies after the U.S. Department of Education announced it would be launching an investigation into the matter. 

"The Fairfax County School Board made clear its intended outcome was to reduce opportunities for Asian American students-and that's exactly what occurred," Miyares said. "These students are not statistics. They are sons and daughters, neighbors, classmates and Virginians who deserve equal protection and opportunity under the law."

Miyares has been investigating TJHSST's admissions policies since 2023, concluding this week that there was reasonable cause to determine FCPS was "discriminating against Asian American students."

According to Miyares, when TJHSST first implemented its new admissions policy, Asian American students made up over 65% of the school's admitted classes. But over a period of just one year, Asian American admissions dropped 19 points, he noted. 

"Internal communications confirm that this outcome was intentional. The Board reviewed proposal after proposal until it could guarantee the racial 'diversity' the Board was after," Miyares office said. "And in the zero-sum game of school admissions, achieving the Board's preferred racial balance meant that fewer Asian American students would be accepted."

Nonetheless, the statement said the district was reviewing materials from the Attorney General and will issue a more detailed response in the near future.

"This matter has already been fully litigated. A federal appellate court determined there was no merit to arguments that the admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology discriminates against any group of students," the statement read. "Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) division leadership and counsel are currently reviewing the documents released today by the Attorney General and will issue a more detailed response in the coming days. FCPS remains committed to providing a world-class education for all of our students."