Carter G. Woodson High School

C. G. Woodson High School
Main entrance to Woodson H.S.
Address
Map
9525 Main Street

Fairfax
,
Virginia
22031

United States
Coordinates38°50′25″N 77°16′31″W / 38.84028°N 77.27528°W / 38.84028; -77.27528
Information
School typePublic, high school
FoundedAugust 4, 1962; 62 years ago (1962-08-04)
School districtFCPS
PrincipalKevin Greata
Teaching staff167.75 (FTE) (2021–22)[1]
Grades9–12[1]
Enrollment2,452 (2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio14.79 (2021–22)[1]
CampusSuburban[1]
Color(s)  Navy blue
  Red
  White
Athletics conferencePatriot District
Northern Region
NicknameCavaliers
USNWR ranking#337 (2022)[2]
NewspaperThe Cavalcade
YearbookThe Cavalier
Feeder schoolsFrost Middle School
Websitewoodsonhs.fcps.edu
Last updated: March 28, 2023; 19 months ago (2023-03-28)

Carter G. Woodson High School, commonly known as C. G. Woodson High School or simply Woodson,[3] (formerly Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School[4]) is a high school located in Fairfax County, Virginia, just outside the east end of the city of Fairfax limits, opposite the shopping center on Main Street.

It is consistently ranked in the top 10 schools in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report and is one of the top schools in the United States.[5]

The school opened in 1962 and was once the largest school in the state. It is originally named for W. T. Woodson, who served as Fairfax County School Superintendent from 1929 to 1961.[6] In 2024, it was renamed for Carter G. Woodson, a historian and dean at Howard University and West Virginia State University, considered the "Father of Black History". As of 2022–2023, the student population was 2,220.[7] Woodson has the largest campus in Fairfax County in size of area, and also houses Woodson Adult High School, a separate education facility run by FCPS that allows adults to earn their GEDs and HS diplomas. Woodson has appeared multiple times on Newsweek magazine's lists of top or best high schools, including No. 23 (2003),[8] No. 34 (2005),[9][10] No. 90 (2006),[11] and No. 74 (2008).[12] Woodson has also appeared on the top high schools lists from U.S. News & World Report: No. 90 (2008),[13] No. 116 (2013),[14] No. 200 (2016),[15] No. 365 (2019),[16] and No. 280 (2020).[2]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Search for Public Schools - W. T. Woodson High School (510126000600)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA". US News Best High Schools. February 20, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "Woodson High School Renaming | Fairfax County Public Schools". www.fcps.edu. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Gelman, Scott (November 14, 2023). "Fairfax's W.T. Woodson High gets a new name". WTOP News. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA".
  6. ^ Smith, J. Y. (July 14, 1983). "W.T. Woodson, Fairfax Schools Ex-Chief, Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  7. ^ "Woodson HS". Student Membership Demographics and Supplemental Programs. Fairfax County Public Schools.
  8. ^ "The Top High Schools". Newsweek. May 23, 2003. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  9. ^ Kantrowitz, Barbara (May 15, 2005). "The 100 Best High Schools in America". Newsweek. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  10. ^ "The Complete List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools". Newsweek. May 5, 2005.
  11. ^ Anderson, Nick (May 18, 2006). "13 in Region Among Top 100 High Schools". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  12. ^ "Newsweek's Top 1000 U.S. High Schools". MSN. Archived from the original on May 10, 2005.
  13. ^ "Jefferson Is No. 1; Others in Area Make List". The Washington Post. December 6, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  14. ^ "Local high schools ranked best in country". WTOP. April 23, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  15. ^ Barton, Mary Ann (April 20, 2016). "Top 10 High Schools in Virginia: US News". Fairfax City, VA Patch. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  16. ^ "W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA – US News Best High Schools". U.S. News & World Report. 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019. W.T. Woodson High School is ranked No. 365 in the National Rankings.