Alexandria City Public Schools clarified to ALXnow on Wednesday that no federal funds have been withheld from the district despite being placed on “high-risk” status by the U.S. Department of Education over transgender student policies.
“While ACPS has been designated as a high-risk entity by the United States Department of Education, no federal funds have been withheld from ACPS as of today,” the district said in response to ALXnow’s inquiry about the specific funding amounts at stake.
Mount Vernon Community School students in Alexandria got a visit on Tuesday from Washington Commanders players, who gave away $5,000 worth of food, plush footballs, hats, and notebooks.
Commanders running back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr., wide receivers Jaylin Lane and Chris Moore, and mascot Major Tuddy visited the school in collaboration with the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack. In addition to receiving signed team merchandise, students also got bags with yogurt, pretzels, fruit cups, cereal, soup, macaroni and cheese, and tuna.
Alexandria’s childhood vaccination rates have fallen to concerning levels, dropping from 95% in 2019 to just 88% last school year for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines, according to new data from an NBC News investigation published Monday.
The decline affects Alexandria City Public Schools’ 16,335 students across 18 schools. It puts the city below the critical 95% vaccination threshold needed for “herd immunity” — the level required to prevent measles outbreaks and stop disease spread within a community.
U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday demanding the immediate reversal of federal funding cuts to Alexandria City Public Schools and four other Northern Virginia school districts over transgender student policies.
The letter represents the latest escalation in a monthslong standoff between the Trump administration and Northern Virginia schools that has put more than $300 million in federal funding at risk for more than 386,000 students across the five districts.
The Alexandria City School Board voiced significant concerns Thursday about a city proposal to transition high school students from school buses to public transit, with several members calling for scaled-back pilot programs or questioning the timing of such a significant change.
During a work session at 1340 Braddock Place, board members weighed City Manager James Parajon’s recommendation to implement a three-phase plan moving high school students to DASH buses beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
The Alexandria City School Board will discuss a proposal on Thursday, Sept. 11, to transition Alexandria City High School students from school buses to the city’s DASH public transit system.
City Manager James F. Parajon recommends a phased approach starting in the 2026-27 school year, according to a June 20, 2025 memo to the City Council and School Board. The proposal comes after City Council members Abdel Elnoubi and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley directed staff in January to study using Alexandria’s public transit system for high school transportation.
Hundreds of Alexandria City High School students held a walkout on Friday, Sept. 5, demonstrating against gun violence in schools.
The walkout at ACHS’s King Street and Minnie Howard campuses started at 11:30 a.m., and lasted for less than a half hour. The demonstrations are part of a national walkout, were organized by Titans Demand Action and held on school grounds. Media was not permitted to observe, except from the public sidewalk. Students held signs, threw water bottles and chanted, “End the violence!”
How should city resources be spent in Alexandria City Public Schools’ fiscal year 2027 budget?
As the school system and city prepare for budget season, the public will have the opportunity to weigh in on a series of “Funding Our Future” sessions starting this month and concluding in October. The first meeting will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27, in the media room of George Washington Middle School (1005 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray.
The Alexandria City Public Schools board opened its first meeting of the 2025-26 school year Thursday evening with celebrations of student and staff achievements, while also addressing pressing concerns about teacher pay delays and outlining significant budget challenges ahead.
Superintendent Dr. K. Wyatt reported the district achieved its lowest staff vacancy rate in years at less than 2%, crediting successful recruitment and retention efforts that brought back former employees who had previously left the system.
Alexandria City Public Schools has won an award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its federally funded school nutrition program.
ACPS announced today (Friday, Aug. 22) that it received a Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Award from Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A program teaching Afghan youth living in Alexandria has expanded to a West End school and is seeking tutors for the 2025-26 school year.
Northern Virginia Resettling Afghan Families Together (NoVA RAFT) launched in 2021 after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The nonprofit has helped move refugees into new homes and taught English to hundreds of children and adults at William Ramsay Recreation Center (5650 Sanger Avenue). NoVA RAFT now needs tutors after announcing a “dynamic partnership” with the Fresh Start Refugee Assistance Center, student leaders at Alexandria City High School, and George Mason University’s Afghan Refugee Mentorship Program to provide tutoring at Francis C. Hammond Middle School (4646 Seminary Road).
