Next year’s freshman class at one of the nation’s top high schools, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, has been selected after heated controversy and lawsuits overhauled the admissions process to make it more diverse.
The high school’s new admissions process is described as merit-based and race-blind. Applicants were identified only by a number.
The $100 application fee and admissions test were abolished.
The Class of 2025 changes TJ’s diversity from the 2020-2021 school year. The percentage of students identified as economically disadvantaged increased from 0.62% to 25%.
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Female students increased from 41.8% to 46%. The percentage of Black students increased from 1.23% to 7.09%. Hispanic students increased 3.29% to 11.7%.
The percentage of white students increased from 17.70% to 22.36%. Asian students continue to constitute the majority at TJ, at 54.36%.
Brabrand said that for the first time in a decade, the freshman class includes students from every Fairfax County middle school.
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The Class of 2025 will also be bigger, increasing from 480 to 550 students.
The average GPA of the class is 3.9539, in line with previous years, Brabrand said.
