May 5, 2025

Dear Oakton Community,

The FCPS Boundary Review Advisory Committee met on Monday, May 5 and reviewed draft map changes that would address capacity issues at schools across the county. These maps built on the previous two sets of maps that addressed attendance islands and split feeders.

You can view the most recent maps from the May 5th meeting here.

None of the schools in the Waples→Franklin→Oakton pyramid are over capacity and so minimal changes were made impacting the pyramid. Changes in the western part of the county will shift approximately 34 Chantilly HS students to Oakton.

According to the public facing schedule, this concludes the “Draft Scenario” portion of the Boundary Review.  Community meetings are scheduled to start on May 15 and go through June after which there will be updated scenarios and another round of community feedback. The final scenarios are expected at the end of the year with formal approval by the Board scheduled for Winter 2026.

While minimal changes to our school boundaries is fantastic news, there are still lingering questions and we recommend reaching out to your elected officials to share your thoughts and create pressure to provide answers. Some outstanding questions we have include:

• The Superintendent announced in the BRAC update email that community meetings will start May 15 but no details have been provided. Is giving the community less than a week’s notice really engaging the community in good faith? Will there be a better virtual option this time? Many parents were locked out of attending virtually before.

• Some of the proposed changes move fewer than 20 students. Is the disruption of moving students worth it for such a small overall change in school utilization?

• What types of information or concerns will be factored into the updated scenarios?

• When will a full map (not highlighted changes) be available to the public?

• When will approved changes take effect?

• Is going through this process every 5 years really necessary? This is a large expense that could be better spent on students and teachers and has created a considerable amount of stress in the community.

The best way to stay informed on when community meetings are happening is by signing up for updates from FCPS and checking the Boundary Review Committee Page. We will also update the community as information becomes available.

The Waples Mill Committee following this issue is happy to connect with any groups in the community who want to know more and/or want to help.

Please reach out to WMESBoundaryCommittee@gmail.com if you want to connect.

Additionally, sign up here to receive updates from the WMES PTA Boundary Change Committee.

Thank you!

Waples Mill Boundary Review Committee