Top 100 Best High Schools 2013–  Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology – Newsweek – 8/100

City: Alexandria
State: VA
School Classification: M,S
GRAD RATE(%): 99
AP/IB TESTS: 2
COLLEGE BOUND(%): 100
AVG SAT: 2153
AVG ACT:
SUBS LUNCH(%):3
AVG AP SCORE:4.5
NEWSWEEK SCORE: 4.17

Local Map

6560 Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA 22312, United States

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST, TJ, Jefferson) is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.[3] It is a regional high school operated by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
As a publicly funded and administered high school with selective admissions, TJHSST is often compared with notable public magnet schools, although it did get rid of non-application based admission after the class of 1988. Attendance at TJ is open to students in six local jurisdictions based on an admissions test, prior academic achievement, recommendations and essays. The selective admissions program was initiated in 1985 through the cooperation of state and county governments, as well as corporate sponsorship from the defense and technology industries. TJHSST occupies the building of the previously FCPS non-selective Thomas Jefferson High School (constructed in 1965). TJHSST is one of 18 Virginia Governor’s Schools, and a founding member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology. U.S. News & World Report ranked the school the best public high school in the nation from 2007 to 2013.
The school is currently undergoing a major renovation, which should be completed by the end of 2016. The renovation cost of about $89 million includes $67.4 million for construction, plus other costs related to permits, design fees, utilities and equipment. A replica of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello dome will grace the school’s entrance.[4][5] The renovation overhauls the school’s aging facilities, many of which have not been updated since the school was built in 1964.