Fall 2021 Boundary Process

PROCESS COMPLETED

Update – At the December 2, 2021 School Board Meeting, the School Board approved the Superintendent’s recommended middle school and high school boundary adjustments, effective school year 2022-23.

• Watch the presentation (Begins at 1:32:17) or view the presentation online.
• Boundary Maps
  • Map 1- High School – Wakefield to Washington-Liberty Boundary Adjustments | Map 2- High School Boundaries 2022-23
    • Reassigns 10 Planning Units  (46110, 46111, 46120, 48160, 48180, 48290, 46140, 48150, 48280, 48281) from Wakefield to Washington-Liberty
  • Map 1- Middle School – Gunston to Jefferson Boundary Adjustments  | Map 2- Middle School Boundaries 2022-23
    • Reassigns 5 Planning Units  (46140, 48150, 48280, 48281, 48290) from Gunston to Jefferson​

Please see page and links below for additional information

Scope | Context | Boundary Policy | Proposals | Process and Community Engagement Timeline | Post-Adoption Notification Messages to Community |  FAQS | Resources

 Links to Virtual Community Events and Recordings

Scope

The Fall 2021 boundary processes will be limited in scope, focusing on refinements to boundaries at schools where:​

• enrollment currently exceeds capacity and/or enrollment was at or exceeded capacity for the prior two school years, and ​
• a nearby school has capacity to accommodate additional students.

These schools include:​

• Elementary schools: Abingdon to Dr. Charles R. Drew​
• Middle schools: Gunston to Jefferson​
• High Schools: Wakefield to Washington-Liberty​

Send Questions and Comments to engage@apsva.us

Context

The following data sources informed the Fall 2021 boundary proposal:  ​

• 2020 3-year projections ​
• Spring Update for 2021-22​
• 2021 Planning Unit data​
• Housing forecast data​
• Current enrollment (Sept. 30, 2021)​

Links to all data sources available on aps2016.apsva.us/engage/fall-2021-boundary-process/​

The most recent projections data has limitations due to the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic

• • Enrollment was lower in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID 19 pandemic​
  • Uncertain of enrollment will rebound​
  • Projections are based on historical trends; there is no precedent for estimating enrollment during a pandemic

Impact of the Virtual Learning Program (VLP) on building capacity

• • How many students might transition back to in-person or enroll in the VLP during SY 2021-22 is uncertain
  • Participation in the Virtual learning Program varies across schools and may change in the future in ways we cannot yet predict

600 additional seats opening at Washington-Liberty in January 2022​

• New capacity will provide enrollment relief for Wakefield​
• If the Fall 2021 projections (available in Jan. 2022) for 2022-23 suggest additional enrollment levels are not manageable at Wakefield or Yorktown, the Annual Update will consider offering targeted transfers for more students to attend W-L. ​
• Provides an opportunity to consider reducing the IB waitlist​
• The number of applicants to the IB Lottery and number on the waitlist has increased each year over the last four years

Additional boundary changes may be necessary in future years​

• Conducting a limited boundary process this year leaves more options open in the future ​
• Additional time will improve our understanding of pandemic enrollment and projections​
• APS will conduct a countywide elementary boundary process in fall of 2022
• The planning units reassigned for the 2021-22 school year will not be moved again if the boundaries for the schools are adjusted in the next several years

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Boundary Adjustment Processes Guided by School Board Policy APS (Policy B-2.1 Boundaries)

The Arlington School Board has established, and may change, school attendance boundaries to govern school assignments based on student residence both to advance the educational mission of the system and to contribute to the efficiency of the school division. Boundary changes may be considered upon the recommendation of the Superintendent when the Superintendent determines that one or more of the following conditions is met and other measures are less feasible or less desirable:

1. A school building’s projected enrollment is expected to be significantly over capacity across the projections.
2. Capital expansion to relieve overcrowding is not feasible and would not address the needs.
3. An insufficient number of students is enrolled or projected to be enrolled to allow cost effective operation of a school.
4. A new school building is planned for construction.
5. There are other administrative, cost-efficiency or service advantages to making such a change.

There are six policy considerations that staff consider when proposing new boundaries:

1. Efficiency – minimizing future capital and operating costs.
2. Proximity – encouraging the relationship between schools and the community by keeping students close to the schools that they attend so that they can walk safely to school or, if they are eligible for bus service, so that bus ride times are minimized.
3. Stability – minimizing the number of times that boundary changes affect an individual student who has continued to reside in a particular attendance area, and minimizing the number of students moved to a different school, within a school level, while achieving the objective of the boundary change.
4. Alignment – minimizing separation of small groups of students from their classmates when moving between school levels.
5. Demographics – promoting demographic diversity.

• • For this boundary process we are not emphasizing demographics.  APS typically uses the proportion of students eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch to address demographics in the boundary process. Fall 2019 was the last time a complete collection of this information was collected so this information is not available for Kindergarten and grade 1 students in the proposal.
• 6. Contiguity – maintaining attendance zones that are contiguous and contain the school to which students are assigned.

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Boundary Proposals

• Abingdon to Drew
• Gunston to Jefferson
• Wakefield to Washington-Liberty
• Fall 2021 Boundary Process Data

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Process and Community Engagement Timeline

APS will hold four Virtual Community Meetings for the Abingdon to Drew ES process and four for the Gunston to Jefferson and Wakefield to Washington-Liberty MS and HS processes (dates below).

• The same information – by grade level –  will be presented at each meeting: overview of proposal, supporting information, Q&A​.
• Simultaneous interpretation is available in Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, and Mongolian (as needed).
• Please note there will be two Spanish Only sessions and English interpretation will not be available.  ​

APS will hold two Virtual Open Office Hours for the Abingdon to Drew ES process and two for the Gunston to Jefferson and Wakefield to Washington-Liberty MS and HS processes (dates below).

• The office hours will provide the community, especially those families impacted by a reassignment, the opportunity to ask questions and receive a response​.
• Simultaneous interpretation will be available in Spanish​.
• Families who communicate in a language other than English or Spanish can submit questions in their preferred language to Engage@apsva.us and a response will be provided.

Links to all Community Meetings and Office Hours will be recorded and posted on this page.

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Resources:

Planning Resources (aps2016.apsva.us/engage/planning-resources-page)

2020 – 3 year projections 

Spring Update for 2021-22

2021 Planning Unit Data

Housing Forecast Data

Sept. 30, 2021 Enrollment

Planning Unit Reference Map

School Boundary Locator

School Board Policy B-2.1 Boundaries