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When it comes to choosing high schools, there is the essential debate: public or private? In addition to this binary, however, there are often more options for students than you may realize. This includes charter and magnet schools. If you live in the Fairfax County area of Virginia and you are or your child is a student, you may already know about Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) is a public, state-chartered magnet school within the Fairfax Country Public School System that admits students from Fairfax County, Arlington, Loudon, and Prince William counties, and also students from Fairfax and Falls Church.

And just what is a magnet school? Magnet schools are public schools that operate either within a specific district (meaning they only accept students from that single district) or the state (meaning that they accept students from multiple districts). Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is the latter. Originally, magnet schools were designed to desegregate districts, though this purpose has evolved over the past few decades.

Now, magnet schools usually offer unique courses and specialized curricula and have more stringent acceptance policies, meaning that students who secure admission there will often receive robust and even elite educations – attending one of these schools can be like receiving a distinguished private education for free. TJHSST, as one of the highest-ranked magnet schools in the country, certainly fits this prestigious bill. In this profile, we’ll provide details about the Thomas Jefferson High School ranking, TJHSST admission, the Thomas Jefferson High School acceptance rate and the school’s curriculum.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology: Rankings, Enrollment, & Test Scores

Located in the large suburban area of Alexandria, TJHSST is currently ranked as the number 14 high school in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. In 2016, it placed first as Newsweek’s “America’s Top High School” annual ranking. Additionally, it is ranked as the number one high school in Virginia (even above all of Virginia’s private high schools). Further, it is nationally ranked as the number five STEM school and number six magnet school. The student body is comprised of 1,967 students in grades 9-12, with an impressive 17:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has an enrollment rate of only 11% of students of disadvantaged economic backgrounds, though the school has an 80% minority enrollment rate, with 65% Asian students, nearly 20% White students, 6% Hispanic students, nearly 5% of students who are two or more races, and 4% Black students.

TJHSST boasts an impressive 100% graduation rate, and 100% of students take and pass at least one Advanced Placement exam. The general test scores for TJHSST are excellent. The state of Virginia measures high school student success with the Standards of Learning exams, and Thomas Jefferson High School’s students score within the 100th percentile for mathematics, the 100th percentile for reading, and the 99th percentile for science on these tests. Students at TJHSST score an average of 1530 on their SATs and 34.5 on their ACTs. High scores on these standardized tests help students secure admissions to more prestigious universities. And they also can also deliver automatic scholarships based on merit.

Yearly, an impressive 99% of TJHSST graduating students report that they will be attending four-year colleges or universities. Accepted students attend universities like Carnegie Mellon University, College of William & Mary, Cornell University, Purdue, the University of Chicago, and many more.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Curriculum Offerings

Since its inception, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has fostered a robust science curriculum, and currently boasts fifteen specialized research labs in:

• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Biotechnology and Life Sciences
• Chemical Analysis and Nanochemistry
• Computer Systems
• Engineering
• Mobile and Web Application Development
• Neuroscience
• Oceanography and Geophysical Systems
• Quantum Physics and Optics

Some of these senior labs require prerequisite courses that are also offered through the school. All TJHSST seniors are also required to complete a capstone technology lab project before graduation. Additionally, students participate in the annual Thomas Jefferson Symposium to Advance Research (tjSTAR) program. This is an all-day event where students can showcase their research, learn about potential careers, collaborate with other students and faculty over current projects, and gauge their individual interest in future study and work opportunities.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Continued)

Students may also participate in TJHSST’s mentorship program, which partners students with science professionals in the D.C. metro area to engage in hands-on work in various fields like engineering, business tech, education and government. To facilitate the completion of projects, the on-campus Geoff Jones Library offers a physical library catalog and several online research databases for students and faculty.

In addition to the robust STEM offerings above, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology also boasts curricula in several other academic fields. TJHSST subject offerings include:

Fine Arts

All Thomas Jefferson High School students must fulfill a one credit fine arts course prior to graduation. This can be in either visual or performance arts. Course offerings include orchestra, band, drama and vocal music, mixed chorus, musical theory, studio art and design, drawing, digital art and design, and photography.

Humanities

All students at TJHSST take four credits of English and four of Social Studies (all courses offered at the Honors level, with AP options offered for seniors in Literature & Composition, Language & Composition, U.S. Government, AP Government and AP Language). Additional humanities courses include Journalism, Photojournalism, Broadcast Journalism, Film Studies, Ancient and Classical Civilization, African American History, History of Science, Anthropology, Religious Studies, and others.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology – School Profile (Continued)

Global Classroom Project

With this program, students from grades 10-12 learn communication skills and skills to become ethical and global citizens by collaborating with Belize High School in Belize to foster the integration of science and government.

Mathematics

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology offers a comprehensive mathematics program for its students. For example: statistics, algebra, geometry, discrete mathematics, trigonometry, functions, calculus, and electives like multivariable calculus, linear algebra, complex variables, and differential equations. Because students matriculate into TJHSST from a variety of middle schools, placement assessments are offered to ensure that students begin the study of mathematics at an appropriate course level.

PE, Health, and Driver Education

TJHSST students are required to take two years of health and physical education courses to establish lifelong physical wellness habits. Sports medicine courses are also available, along with driving instruction.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology – School Profile (Continued)

Science and Technology

In addition to the specialized science offerings listed above, TJHSST requires all graduates to complete four years of courses in biology, chemistry, physics, technology and geosystems. Among some of the many science course offerings are advanced astronomy, marine biology, bionanotechnology, DNA science, geospatial analysis, microbial genomics, physiology and the arts, and relativity, electrodynamics and quantum mechanics. Some technology electives include analog and digital electronics, microprocessor system design, robotics, energy systems, and prototyping.

World Languages

This program is designed to help students learn oral proficiency in a foreign language. Students must take at least three credits in a language before graduation. This also includes the option to take further advanced language courses after the requisite three. The school offers courses in Chinese, French, German, Latin, Russian and Spanish.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Extracurriculars

Athletics

At Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, students have the option to participate in twenty-one different team sports at the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity levels, including six coed sports.

Publications

TJHSST students can work on various school publications, including tjTODAY (the school newspaper), Techniques (the school yearbook), Threshold literary magazine, and Teknos, a journal of science, math, and technology.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology – School Profile (Continued)

“Eighth Period.”

Every day, TJHSST students are encouraged to participate in clubs and extracurriculars. There are an impressive 180 different activities to choose from. Clubs include more traditional offerings like Academic Decathlon, Chess Club, Bible Study, Drama, and Science Olympiad. More unique choices like the JRR Tolkien Fellowship, Magic the Gathering Club, and Otaku Club are also available. Additional options include political and social justice-oriented groups like Young Democrats, Teenage Republicans, Amnesty International Club, and various humanitarian aid clubs.

TJHSST Admissions

Students may apply to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology as Freshmen, Sophomores, or Juniors. There are slightly different policies and procedures for application each year.

Freshman Admission

The admissions committee conducts a holistic analysis of each Freshman applicant. They assess the applicants’ GPAs, a completed problem-solving essay, and their “Portrait of a Graduate Attributes” and “21st Century Skills”. These include collaboration, communication, creative and critical thinking, ethical and global citizenry, goal-determinedness and resilience, innovation, leadership and problem-solving. Finally, the admissions committee will consider the students’ “experience factors” like economic disadvantages, ESL and special education needs.

Sophomore Admission

Each year, TJHSST accepts a small pool of Sophomore applicants. Those who applied Freshman year and were not admitted may apply again Sophomore year. Sophomores are encouraged (though not required) to submit SAT or PSAT scores during the application process. Scores must be in the 90th percentile or above. Lastly, applicants are required to submit transcripts, demographic information, a personal essay, three letters of recommendation, and eligibility documentation.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology – School Profile (Continued)

TJHSST Junior Admission

TJHSST accepts a very limited amount of Junior students each year. Those students who applied during their Freshman and / or Sophomore years and were not admitted may not apply for their Junior year. Application materials include a student information sheet, transcripts, PSAT or SAT scores (with scores in the 90th percentile or above), three teacher recommendations, and eligibility documentation.

Thomas Jefferson High School Acceptance Rate

For incoming Freshmen, 550 students will be offered admission to the school. In recent years, TJHSST has accepted between 15 and 20 new Sophomores. They have also reserved a similarly limited amount of spaces for incoming Juniors. For the class of 2026, the Freshman acceptance rate was about 21%.

Notably, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was involved in a highly-publicized court case for changes to its admissions policies. In 2020, TJHSST revised some of its application practices, newly including “experience factors” (see above) as criteria for acceptance; this new policy decreased the number of admitted Asian students, while increasing the number of White, Black, and Hispanic admitted students. While the Supreme Court declined to hear the case in February 2024, the issue of biases against Asian students is an ongoing consideration for all applicants.

Thomas Jefferson High School – Works Consulted

George, Janel and Linda Darling-Hammond. “Advancing Integration and Equity Through Magnet Schools,” Learning Policy Institute (2021).

“Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology,” U.S. News & World Report Rankings (2024).

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Profile 2022-2023, Virginia State Board of Education

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Profile 2022-2023, Virginia State Board of Education

TJHSST – Additional Resources

• Best Public High Schools in Virginia
• 10 Best Online High Schools
• 25 Best Boarding Schools in the US