How safe is the school, really — beyond what the marketing says?
Based on Virginia Department of Education records, the school reported 156 discipline offences in 2023–24, and 13 were safety-related: 11 classed as behaviours of a safety concern and 2 as behaviours that endanger the health, safety or welfare of self or others. Our search of news coverage found no report of a serious safety incident at the school, but the state profile publishes no crime-and-violence figures or climate survey, so we cannot say how safe students feel.
| Offence category (the state’s label) | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Behaviors that Impede Academic Progress | 127 |
| Relationship Behaviors without Physical Harm | 16 |
| Behaviors of a Safety Concern | 11 |
| Behaviors that Endanger the Health, Safety, or Welfare of Self or Others | 2 |
About 2,000 students were enrolled that year, so the 13 safety-related offences are roughly six for every thousand students. The state’s suspension and expulsion tables show only each student group’s share, not counts, so we cannot give a suspension rate.
A count of recorded offences describes what the school reported, not how safe students feel; the safety plan and any climate survey the school may keep are not published.
How do students perform on state assessments in reading and math?
According to the Virginia Department of Education, 100% of students passed the Standards of Learning tests in reading, mathematics and science in 2023–24 (98%, 99% and 100% the year before), and every reported student group reached Level One, the state’s highest accreditation level.
| Year | Reading | Mathematics | Science |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 98% | 99% | 100% |
| 2023–24 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
The school is selective: for the Class of 2030 it made 550 offers from 2,762 applications. These pass rates therefore describe students admitted on a competitive basis, and say less about what the school adds than they would at a school that enrols everyone nearby.
Virginia accredited the school in 2024, and named it a Highest Achievement Exemplar for 2023–24, one of only 37 schools to earn the title.
How qualified and stable are the teachers?
Based on Virginia Department of Education data, 83% of the school’s teachers held a master’s or doctoral degree in 2023–24 (62% master’s, 21% doctoral), and the federal count for 2024–25 lists 125.37 full-time-equivalent teachers for 2,108 students, a ratio of 16.8 students to each teacher. Neither source reports tenure or turnover, so we cannot say how stable the staff are.
| Highest degree | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| Master’s | 62% | 61% | 62% |
| Doctoral | 20% | 20% | 21% |
| Other | 1% | 1% | 1% |
The state’s tables for inexperienced, out-of-field and provisionally licensed teachers are empty for this school, so they add nothing either way.
Does the school offer distinct STEM programs, and how have teams placed in competition?
Yes. The school runs nine senior research laboratories, from Astronomy and Astrophysics to Quantum Physics and Optics, and requires every senior to complete a technology laboratory project. Its computer security team ranked fifth overall and first in the United States on CTFtime in 2026, eight students were named Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars in each of 2025 and 2026, and the school was National Ocean Science Bowl champion in 2025.
| Competition | Result | Year |
|---|---|---|
| CTFtime (computer security) | 5th overall, 1st in the United States; 848.1 points | 2026 |
| Regeneron Science Talent Search | Eight scholars; a finalist placed 10th nationally (2025) | 2025, 2026 |
| International Science and Engineering Fair | Six projects, with four awards | 2025 |
| National Ocean Science Bowl | Champion | 2025 |
| Virginia Science Bowl | First place | 2024 |
The nine laboratories are Astronomy and Astrophysics; Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Chemical Analysis and Nanochemistry; Computer Systems; Engineering; Mobile and Web Application Development; Neuroscience; Oceanography and Geophysical Systems; and Quantum Physics and Optics.
Are students producing serious projects, research, inventions or portfolios—or mainly completing classroom exercises?
Serious projects, on the record. Students designed and built a satellite, TJREVERB, that was deployed from the International Space Station on 29 December 2022; they took six projects to the 2025 International Science and Engineering Fair, with four awards; and the Quantum Physics and Optics laboratory’s projects include a quantum-key-distribution chip and a rubidium magnetometer.
| What students made | Result | Year |
|---|---|---|
| TJREVERB CubeSat | Deployed from the International Space Station | 2022 |
| HypeFL, a connected-vehicle architecture | Third award, Engineering Technology, International Science and Engineering Fair | 2023 |
| BrailleSense, a low-cost braille display | Regional Grand Prize, Engineering Technology | 2025 |
| AeroProtect | Second place, AFCEA award, regional fair | 2026 |
| SafeWalkr, a safe-walking-route app begun at a hackathon | Launched as a district pilot at 14 Fairfax County Public Schools | 2026 |
The record is wider than the competitions: a student-run hackathon, a student-run newsmagazine and a national maths-modelling win all appear in the chart of what students made.
Does the school give a strong STEM student enough opportunities—or will ambitious students quickly outgrow it?
Based on the school’s course lists, an ambitious student is unlikely to run out of road: computer science runs for seven course years to AP Computer Science A and beyond, mathematics reaches multivariable calculus, linear algebra and differential equations as dual-enrollment courses, and seniors work in a research laboratory. The places a student could outgrow are narrow: battery storage, where one 2026 fair project is the only recent record, and advanced manufacturing, where we found no credential or competition record.
| Level | What we found |
|---|---|
| Advanced Placement | Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics 1, 2, C: Mechanics and C: Electricity and Magnetism, Calculus AB and BC, Statistics, Computer Science A |
| College-level mathematics | Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (dual enrollment); Complex Analysis; Concrete Mathematics |
| Research | Nine senior research laboratories and a Research Practicum |
| Where the ceiling is lower | Battery storage; advanced manufacturing |
Which future-critical STEM fields is this school genuinely strong in—and which ones are major gaps?
Based on our review, the strongest fields are AI and data, computer science and biotechnology, each 5.0 out of 5. Cybersecurity, robotics, clean energy, Earth systems, aerospace, quantum technologies and advanced materials follow at 4.0, advanced manufacturing is 3.0, and battery storage, at 2.0, is the one major gap.
| Field | Grade | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| AI & data | 5.0/5 | AI, machine learning and computer vision courses; a senior research laboratory |
| Computer science | 5.0/5 | Seven course years to AP Computer Science A; HackTJ and TJCTF |
| Biotechnology | 5.0/5 | DNA Science, Bioinformatics and Bionanotechnology; a senior laboratory |
| Cybersecurity | 4.0/5 | AP Cybersecurity; first in the United States on CTFtime in 2026 |
| Robotics | 4.0/5 | Robotics and engineering courses; no team or competition record |
| Clean energy | 4.0/5 | Energy Systems courses; no current energy laboratory |
| Earth systems | 4.0/5 | Geospatial Analysis, marine science and an oceanography laboratory |
| Aerospace | 4.0/5 | A student-built satellite deployed from the International Space Station |
| Quantum | 4.0/5 | A quantum physics and optics laboratory that builds working instruments |
| Advanced materials | 4.0/5 | Nanochemistry laboratory; a 2024 materials-science award |
| Advanced manufacturing | 3.0/5 | Prototyping courses; equipment pages from 2015 |
| Batteries | 2.0/5 | A fuel cell on a 2015 equipment page; one 2026 fair project |
How much of what the school claims can actually be independently verified?
Most of it. Seven of the 12 fields we reviewed rest on independent records as well as the school’s own pages, such as the CTFtime ranking, fair and Regeneron results and press reports; the other five rest mainly on the school’s course lists and equipment pages, and some of those pages date from 2015.
| Basis | Fields |
|---|---|
| Independent records as well as the school’s pages | AI & data, computer science, biotechnology, cybersecurity, aerospace, quantum, advanced materials |
| Mainly the school’s own pages | Earth systems, robotics, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, batteries |
We tested two of the school’s own statements. Its listing of a “4kw Roof Mounted Solar Array” sits on an energy laboratory page last updated in 2015, and no current energy laboratory is among the nine. Its description of the Quantum Physics and Optics laboratory’s equipment is modest next to the instruments the students have built.
Will your child be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet?
Here’s what the evidence actually shows for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — not what the brochure claims.
84/100 — Strong overall. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology offers Artificial Intelligence 1 and 2, Machine Learning 1 and 2, Data Structures including AP Computer Science A, DNA Science 1 and 2 and Bioinformatics, requires every senior to complete a laboratory project, and had eight Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars in each of 2025 and 2026.
But: battery storage is thin.
Best positioned forAI & Data, Computer Science, Biotechnology
Underdeveloped inBatteries
Future-critical exposure11/15 domains
Very strong
- AI & Data
- Computer Science
- Biotechnology
Strong
- Cybersecurity
- Robotics
- Clean Energy
- Earth & Geospatial
- Aerospace
- Quantum
- Advanced Materials
Limited
- Advanced Manufacturing
Little / no pathway
- Batteries
Best fit for
Less ideal for
Where the marketing exceeds the evidence
No current energy research laboratory or equipment record identified.
Where the school is stronger than its marketing suggests
Curriculum
- Artificial Intelligence 1–2, Machine Learning 1–2 and Computer Vision 1–2
- Data Structures including AP Computer Science A, AP Statistics and Statistical Modeling for Data Science
Evidence seen
- The course tables on the school’s computer science page
- Awards at the 2023 International Science and Engineering Fair in Systems Software, Engineering Technology and Robotics and Intelligent Machines
- Eight Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars in each of 2025 and 2026, listed by Society for Science
Curriculum
- AP Cybersecurity, and a Computer Systems Research Lab for seniors
Evidence seen
- The computer security team (tjcsc) ranked fifth overall and first in the United States on CTFtime in 2026, on 848.1 points; it ranked 69th in 2025
- TJCTF, hosted by the team every year since 2020 (15–17 May in 2026)
What's missing
- No second cybersecurity course or dedicated research laboratory identified
Curriculum
- Robotics 1–2, Engineering Fundamentals, Prototyping 1–2 and Engineering Design
- A senior engineering laboratory
Evidence seen
- The course listings on the school’s technology page
- Origami millirobots, and AeroProtect, a multi-agent 3D collision-avoidance system, among the 2026 regional fair awards
What's missing
- No robotics team or robotics-competition record identified
- The technology laboratory equipment pages date from 2015
Curriculum
- Energy Systems 1–2 and AP Environmental Science
Evidence seen
- A 4 kW roof-mounted solar array on the Energy Systems laboratory page
- A regional Grand Prize in March 2025 for hydrogel heat sinks that improve solar efficiency, in the Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design category
What's missing
- No current energy research laboratory among the nine senior laboratories
- No energy club or competition record identified
Curriculum
- DNA Science 1–2, Bioinformatics, Bionanotechnology, Neurobiology and AP Biology
- Four years of laboratory science for every student, and a senior Biotechnology and Life Sciences laboratory
Evidence seen
- A Regeneron Science Talent Search finalist who placed tenth nationally in 2025, and a second award in Microbiology at the 2024 International Science and Engineering Fair
- A $51,353 TJ Partnership Fund grant, approved in 2025, for digital and quantitative PCR instruments in the biotechnology and DNA Science laboratories
Curriculum
- Seven course years, from Foundations of Computer Science through Data Structures including AP Computer Science A
- Computer Simulation and Game Development, Web and Mobile App Development, and Computer Systems and Mobile/Web research laboratories
Evidence seen
- The course tables on the school’s computer science page
- HackTJ, a hackathon run by students, and TJCTF, a competition run by the computer security team
Curriculum
- Geospatial Analysis, AP Environmental Science, Marine Science Techniques and Advanced Marine Biology
- An Oceanography and Geophysical Systems research laboratory
Evidence seen
- National Ocean Science Bowl champions in 2025
What's missing
- No geospatial-software or fieldwork record identified
Curriculum
- Astronomy, and an Astronomy and Astrophysics research laboratory
Evidence seen
- TJREVERB, a CubeSat the TJ Space programme designed and built, launched in November 2022 and deployed from the International Space Station on 29 December 2022, reported by FOX 5
- First places in AIAA and AFCEA awards at the 2026 regional fair
What's missing
- No dedicated aerospace course identified
Curriculum
- Design & Technology (IBET), Engineering Fundamentals and Prototyping 1–2
Evidence seen
- The course listings on the school’s technology page
What's missing
- No manufacturing credential, industry partner or competition record identified
- The technology laboratory equipment pages date from 2015
Evidence seen
- A Direct Methanol Fuel Cell on the Energy Systems laboratory equipment page, last updated 17 September 2015
- A student project on battery-chemistry trade-offs in electric-vehicle fleets, awarded the SAE International first prize for Excellence in Mobility Engineering at the 2026 regional fair
What's missing
- No battery or energy-storage course, laboratory or club identified, and no second project
Curriculum
- Quantum & Electrodynamics, and a Quantum Physics and Optics research laboratory
Evidence seen
- The laboratory’s project pages: a BB84 quantum-key-distribution chip, nitrogen-vacancy diamond thermal mapping, a rubidium magnetometer and a quantum physics-informed neural network
- A $33,802 ThorLabs Quantum Optics Education Kit for the laboratory, funded by the TJ Partnership Fund
- A Yale Science and Engineering Association award at the 2026 regional fair
Curriculum
- Bionanotechnology, Organic and Analytical Chemistry, and a Chemical Analysis and Nanochemistry research laboratory
Evidence seen
- A fourth award in Materials Science at the 2024 International Science and Engineering Fair, for chiral carbon nanotubes in spintronic devices
What's missing
- No materials-science course by that name identified
Creativity cannot be graded the way a course can. It can only be evidenced through what students made.
| Criterion | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art + technology | ||||
| Design | ||||
| Architecture | ||||
| Engineering design | ||||
| Media / digital production | ||||
| Maker learning | ||||
| Interdisciplinary projects |
Four strands run for three years or more; the rest are single years. 2024 is the densest year, at 6 of 7 criteria.
The record — 7 artefacts
A 24-hour hackathon organised by students, held at a Tysons Corner venue after it outgrew the school. Teams build and demonstrate software projects against the clock, with judged tracks in web, mobile, machine learning and social impact; the 2023 edition added a quantum-computing track.
Student newspaper · TJ Partnership Fund · Burke Connection report, 2013
The students’ own newsmagazine, in print and online, written and edited by student staff. It won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown in 2022 and 2023, and a Gold Crown and a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker in 2020.
Columbia Scholastic Press Association and NSPA awards · FCPS announcement · archive live through 2026
A satellite that students designed, built, coded and integrated. It launched on SpaceX-26 in November 2022, was deployed from the International Space Station on 29 December 2022, and was shown at Maker Faire NoVa in 2024.
FOX 5 DC report of the deployment · AIAA student talk, January 2023 · Maker Faire NoVa 2024
Students entered engineered projects at the International Science and Engineering Fair or the Fairfax regional fair in each year of the window: HypeFL, a connected-vehicle architecture, took a third award in Engineering Technology in 2023; a fourth award in Environmental Engineering followed in 2024; BrailleSense, a low-cost braille display, won a regional Grand Prize in 2025; and AeroProtect took a second-place AFCEA award in 2026.
FCPS announcements of the international and regional fair results
Three seniors built the SafeWalkr app, which helps students find safe walking routes. It began at a hackathon and launched in October 2026 as a district pilot for families in walking zones at 14 Fairfax County Public Schools.
Fairfax County Public Schools · Patch · WTOP
… and 2 more artefacts, counted in the chart above.
Nothing found for
No student work was found evidencing this one. For a school this well documented, an unrecorded programme is unlikely to be a large one.
What a family should ask about directly
- Battery storage has no course, laboratory or club behind it — the records found are a fuel cell on an equipment page last updated in 2015 and one student project on battery chemistry that won an SAE International prize at the 2026 regional fair. A student set on energy storage should ask which research laboratory would take the work.
- Robotics and clean energy are graded on their course lists and fair results, but no robotics team or competition and no current energy laboratory was found, and the technology laboratory equipment pages date from 2015. Ask which equipment is in use today.
- The Virginia Department of Education shows two chronic-absenteeism figures for 2023–24 — 18.28% under the accreditation measure and 11% on the adjusted federal measure — with no note on why they differ. Ask the school which it uses.
| Domain | Evidence class | Key sources |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | Verified · Officially recorded | Course tables on the school’s computer science page, CTFtime ranking, HackTJ and TJCTF |
| AI & Data | Verified · Corroborated | Course tables, International Science and Engineering Fair awards (2023), Society for Science Regeneron scholar lists |
| Biotechnology | Verified · Corroborated | Course catalogue, Society for Science Regeneron scholar lists, International Science and Engineering Fair awards (2024), TJ Partnership Fund grants page |
| Cybersecurity | Verified · Officially recorded | AP Cybersecurity on the course tables, CTFtime team record for 2025 and 2026 |
| Aerospace | Verified · Corroborated | Course catalogue, FOX 5 report of the TJREVERB deployment, Fairfax regional fair awards (2026) |
| Quantum | Verified · Corroborated | Quantum Physics and Optics laboratory project pages, TJ Partnership Fund grants page, regional fair award (2026) |
| Advanced Materials | Verified · Corroborated | Course catalogue, laboratory list, International Science and Engineering Fair award (2024) |
| Earth & Geospatial | Verified | Course catalogue, laboratory list, National Ocean Science Bowl result (2025) |
| Robotics | Verified · School-reported | Course catalogue; technology equipment pages dating from 2015; no team or competition record found |
| Clean Energy | Verified · School-reported | Course catalogue, Energy Systems laboratory page (2015), Fairfax regional fair Grand Prize (2025) |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Verified · School-reported | Course catalogue, technology equipment pages dating from 2015; no credential or competition record found |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Verified | Energy Systems laboratory equipment page (2015); regional fair award (2026); no course, laboratory or club record found |
Academics
A challenging learning environment focused on math, science, and technology.
We offer seven years of computer science, and every student completes four years of laboratory science. Unlike other magnet schools, we have a four-year, full-day program. Ask below about any course.
Thomas Jefferson High School
We are a four-year, full-day program for selected students from Fairfax County and neighbouring districts.
- Four years of laboratory science for every student
- Seven years of computer science
- Nine senior research laboratories
- A technology laboratory project required of every senior
- Dual-enrollment mathematics
Computer Science
We offer seven years of computer science.
- Foundations of Computer Science
- Data Structures, including AP Computer Science A
- Artificial Intelligence 1–2 and Machine Learning 1–2
- Computer Vision 1–2
- AP Cybersecurity
Science and Technology
Every student will complete four years of laboratory science, and all seniors are required to complete a technology laboratory project.
- DNA Science 1–2, Bioinformatics and Bionanotechnology
- Geospatial Analysis, Marine Science Techniques and Advanced Marine Biology
- Astronomy, and Quantum & Electrodynamics
- Energy Systems 1–2, Robotics 1–2 and Prototyping 1–2
- Design & Technology (IBET), Engineering Fundamentals and Engineering Design
Mathematics
We teach calculus, statistics and advanced mathematics, with several courses taken for dual enrollment.
- AP Calculus AB and BC
- Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (dual enrollment)
- Complex Analysis and Concrete Mathematics
- AP Statistics and Statistical Modeling for Data Science
Senior Research
All seniors are required to complete a technology laboratory project.
- Astronomy and Astrophysics; Quantum Physics and Optics
- Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Neuroscience
- Chemical Analysis and Nanochemistry
- Computer Systems; Mobile and Web Application Development
- Engineering; Oceanography and Geophysical Systems
AP courses in science, mathematics and computer science
Division leadership
Emily Owens
Leads our Science and Technology division.
Jared Seyler
Assists in leading our Science and Technology division.
Yaara Crane
Subschool principal for the Class of 2030 and administrator for our Science and Technology division.
Shawn Frank
Subschool principal for the Class of 2027 and administrator for our Math and Computer Science division.
Ask about academics
Calendar
Our 2026–27 school year.
Key dates from the Fairfax County Public Schools calendar for 2026–27, which sets our year. Our school day starts at 8:40 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Ask below if you need us to confirm a date before you book travel.
October
November
December
January – February
March
April
May – June
Ask about the calendar
Our Story
Learning never ends.
Established in 1985, we are a partnership among businesses and schools created to improve education in science, mathematics, and technology. As the Governor’s School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia, we also serve students from Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William counties and from the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.
Research
Research stems from a combination of fundamental knowledge, individual creativity, and curiosity.
Integration
Students learn best in a community where academic disciplines are integrated, fostering an appreciation of how they interact and form a whole.
Collaboration
Collaborative learning, athletics, and extracurricular activities develop leadership and interpersonal skills.
Integrity
Responsibility and integrity are core principles in the pursuit of excellence.
Milestones
We were established as a partnership among businesses and schools created to improve education in science, mathematics, and technology.
Local business leaders, parents, and alumni formed the TJ Partnership Fund as a nonprofit public foundation to support our academic mission and our role as a STEM education leader.
We launched TJ3SAT, the first high-school-built CubeSat in the world.
We completed an extensive renovation.
Our TJ Space programme launched TJREVERB, a CubeSat designed, built, coded and integrated entirely by high school students, to the International Space Station.
We celebrated our 40th anniversary on October 24–25.
Leadership
Michael Mukai
A member of our Class of 1989, named our principal in January 2025.
Sara Wright
Directs student services, with our counselors, social worker and school psychologist.
Leah Conte
Leads our Student Activities Office.
Ask about our story
Give
Supporting our academic mission and our role as a STEM education leader.
The TJ Partnership Fund is the nonprofit public foundation that local business leaders, parents, and alumni formed in 1999 to support us. It is a 501(c)(3), and all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
STEM Society
Set up a monthly recurring donation or donate at least $250 in consecutive years. Members receive quarterly impact updates, exclusive branded items, early access to TJPF events and tier-specific recognition.
Matching gifts
Ask your employer about possible donation matching.
Payroll giving
Search for your company to see if payroll giving is available and learn how you can start supporting the TJ Partnership Fund through your paycheck.
Ask about giving
News
What’s happening on our campus.
Recent features from our campus.
From Hackathon to District Pilot: High Schoolers Hack the School Commute
Three of our seniors built the SafeWalkr app, which helps students find safe walking routes. It launches for families in walking zones at 14 Fairfax County Public Schools.
Big Research Starts Here - TJ IBET Students Prepare for Symposium
Our IBET students, in three teachers’ classes, presented research projects they developed over the previous month.
TJHSST’s Baseball Team Debuts First-Ever Adaptive Clinic for Young Players with Special Needs
Our varsity baseball players are hosting a first-of-its-kind adaptive clinic for young athletes with disabilities.
TJHSST Athletics Program Makes State History Appointing Women to Lead Both Baseball and Football Programs
Rachel Worsham became the first woman to lead a Virginia high school football team, joining Jennifer Hammond, who leads our baseball program.
40 Years! TJHSST Puts on a Celebration for the Ages!
We held our 40th anniversary celebration on October 24–25.
Mr. Mike Mukai Named Our New Principal!
FCPS announced that Mike Mukai has been hired as our new principal.
TJHSST Earns Highest Achievement Exemplar Award from Virginia Board of Education for 2023-24 School Year
We received the Virginia Board of Education’s highest achievement exemplar award.
Ask about the news
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