Students in Winchester, Virginia, are the first to head back to classes Thursday in the Northern Virginia area.
Winchester Public Schools will have about 4,500 students enrolled this year.
In a letter to families, Superintendent Jason Van Heukelum urged parents to stay engaged with their children’s education.
“I hope you will stay engaged with your school community throughout the upcoming school year. Your connection and involvement as a family is a vital component of your student success,” Van Heukelum wrote.
“As we enter the school year, you’ll notice several upgrades to our facilities. We have refurbished gym floors at GQES (Garland R. Quarles Elementary School) and DMIS (Daniel Morgan Intermediate School), new playground equipment at FDES (Frederick Douglass Elementary Schools) and GQES and new security vestibules at FDES and GQES, along with regular maintenance and upgrades at all of our facilities.”
School start dates
The following are scheduled first days of school for students at Virginia public schools using traditional calendars:
- Aug. 8 — Winchester
- Aug. 12 — Fredericksburg City and Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Orange, Warren and King George counties
- Aug. 14 — Rappahannock and Fauquier counties
- Aug. 15 — Frederick County
- Aug. 19 — Manassas City
- Aug. 20 — Clarke County
- Aug. 22 — Loudoun County
- Aug. 26 — Manassas Park, and Fairfax and Prince William counties
- Sept. 3 — Arlington County, and Alexandria and Falls Church cities
Aug. 19 is the start date for Jefferson County, West Virginia.
Aug. 26 is the start date for D.C. Public Schools.
In Maryland, Sept. 3 is the start date for Charles, St. Mary’s, Prince George’s, Calvert, Anne Arundel (grades 1-5, 6, 9 only), Montgomery, Howard, Frederick, Washington, Carroll and Baltimore counties, and Baltimore City.
It’s Sept. 4 in Anne Arundel County for all other grades.
WTOP’s Max Smith contributed to this story.
