After three years in the top spot, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, the prestigious magnet school in Fairfax County, dropped to fifth in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High Schools” rankings.Thomas Jefferson, locally known as TJ, has been ensnared in controversy since the Fairfax County School Board voted in 2020 to alter its admission process, in part to boost diversity at the school.
Eric Brooks, principal data analyst for education at U.S. News, noted that Thomas Jefferson ranked fourth in 2019 and 10th in 2018. Brooks said that the difference in moving between the first and fifth spots came from slight changes in performance on Advanced Placement tests and Virginia’s Standards of Learning assessment. He noted that among the best-performing schools, the smallest differences could affect ranking.“At these top schools, everyone graduates, everyone’s proficient in their state assessments, everyone’s getting a qualifying score on APs,” Brooks said.