Redistricting Update: Where Things Stand After the May 29 School Board Meeting

Kelly Carmichael Booz
Jun 3
6 min read

Updated: Jun 5

June 3, 2025

By: Members of the Strategy and Accountability Committee: Kelly Carmichael Booz (District B), Christopher Harris (District C), and Ryan Reyna (District A)

We’re one step closer.

On May 29, the Alexandria City School Board reviewed the comprehensive set of redistricting recommendations, which included maps, policies, and middle school options. We heard presentations from ACPS staff and MGT, had a detailed board discussion, and took an important step by narrowing down the plans still in contention ahead of the final vote on June 12.

In case you couldn’t tune in (understandably, it was a long one), here’s a quick update on what happened—and what’s still to come.

Triangle 2 and Triangle 3 Move Forward

After reviewing all three proposed elementary boundary maps—Triangle 2, Triangle 3, and the Circle Plan—the board reached consensus to remove the Circle Plan from consideration. Concerns about demographic balance, overutilization in the West End, and neighborhood cohesion ultimately led to the decision.

That leaves two maps under consideration:

Triangle 2: Offers strong balance across demographics, utilization, and walkability; carefully sized to fit George Mason students in the swing space when construction begins.
Triangle 3: Similar to Triangle 2 but extends the George Mason boundary slightly further to increase long-term utilization of the new building, which opens in 2027.

Each map has trade-offs, and neither is perfect. But both reflect extensive input from the community, RAC, and Steering Committee, and both aim to minimize disruption while moving us closer to our guiding principles.

Middle School: Options Narrowed to B, C, and E

We also took a deep dive into middle school boundaries. While redistricting began as an elementary process, every map creates ripple effects for middle school assignments.

There were originally five options on the table (A through E). During the May 29 meeting, the board agreed to remove Option A, which would have followed the traditional elementary feeder patterns and pushed George Washington Middle School's utilization above 140%, well beyond any acceptable target. We also removed Option D because Option E improved on the changes from Option D.

The three options still under consideration are:

Option B: Keep current middle school boundaries in place (status quo), except for aligning newly zoned K–8 students.
Option C: Redraw the middle school line near Quaker Lane to balance enrollment between GW and Hammond. Reduces bus eligibility but creates more disruption to current patterns.
Option E: Similar to Option B, but with additional tweaks to Jefferson-Houston and Patrick Henry’s middle school zones to better distribute enrollment.

No option will fully solve middle school overcrowding. Even the most balanced plans would still leave both GW and Hammond hovering around 120% utilization. However, redistricting can help alleviate strain while we collaborate with the City Council on long-term solutions, such as adding additional middle school seats.

Policy Review: Clarifying Final Questions

We’ve now held three board work sessions focused entirely on redistricting policy. On May 29, we walked through each remaining section one more time to finalize questions ahead of the June 12 vote. Two areas generated focused discussion:

Dual Language Program Siblings

We’ve heard concerns from families about whether siblings will be able to join the dual language program at Mount Vernon next year, especially in light of new policies limiting programmatic transfers. The short answer is that space is expected for a limited number of programmatic transfers, but this depends on projected enrollment and careful planning at the grade level.

While Mount Vernon’s overall building utilization will remain high, the incoming kindergarten cohort (and each subsequent new grade-level class) is being carefully sized to prevent further overcrowding. ACPS will use projected enrollment and available space to determine the number of new students accepted each year, including opt-ins and siblings of current students.

For example, the Fall 2025 kindergarten class is currently projected to have about 95% utilization, leaving room for a small number of additional students. The exact number will depend on how many in-zone rising kindergartners enroll and how many families opt out of the dual language program. This 95% projection gives ACPS some flexibility to admit siblings and other opt-ins while staying under the 110% target. It will take time to reduce overall utilization, especially since the Board has committed to allowing currently enrolled students to complete the program.

What does this mean in practice? There should be space for a limited number of new students, including siblings of currently enrolled students. Siblings will continue to receive preference under the new policy. While placement isn’t guaranteed, this approach aims to maintain access while managing enrollment growth in a sustainable and equitable way. Staff will monitor enrollment closely and adjust as needed.

Looking ahead, several board members have expressed interest in expanding dual language programs across Alexandria. The strong demand makes it clear that we need to explore additional options in the years to come.

George Mason Swing Space: Possible Additional Deferrals?

The Board also discussed a request for additional data to assess the impact of allowing 2026–27 to serve as a deferral year for students newly rezoned to George Mason during the swing space period (while the new building is under construction).

A small group of MacArthur students—those who previously attended the swing space as kindergartners—already qualify for extended deferral. This new request asks whether more students could be offered that same option.

Staff will bring back data to help the Board and community understand what this might mean for enrollment and capacity at Douglas MacArthur, Charles Barrett, and Jefferson-Houston in 2026–27.

Importantly, this is not a guaranteed option. Based on early modeling, allowing all newly rezoned George Mason students to defer could significantly overcrowd nearby schools. The goal of this analysis is to understand what may be feasible—and what simply isn’t—based on actual space and staffing.

Policy Agreements: Where We’ve Landed

Throughout this process, we’ve shared policy updates in previous posts, which you can find here. Here’s a full summary in one place:

Attendance & Placement (JCD & JCD-R)

Students attend their new school unless they qualify for a deferral or programmatic transfer.
Programmatic transfers (e.g., dual language, K–8) allowed if space is available and the school stays under 110% utilization target.
Siblings of students in programmatic transfers will receive preference (not a guarantee) if space is available.
All administrative transfers require central office approval.

Deferrals (JCE-R2)

Rising 5th graders (2026–27) and their siblings can remain for one year.
Rising 7th and 8th graders can stay at their current middle school until graduation.
A small group of rising 4th graders who previously attended the MacArthur swing space will be allowed to stay through 5th grade.
All deferral requests are due by January 15, 2026.

Class Sizes & Capacity Transfers (IHB & Planning Factors)

Class size caps are now separate from staffing formulas.
Capacity transfers (reassigning students out of full schools) will be eliminated—a move rooted in equity.
Redistricting will be managed more proactively in the future using triggers and “option areas.”

Transportation (EEA & Related Regulations)

Bus service will continue for walk-zone students facing hazardous conditions (e.g., major roads).
A new space-available process will allow some in-zone walkers to request a seat on existing routes.

What’s Still to Come

As we approach the final vote, a few items are still in motion:

Visuals showing how the existing middle school options (B, C, and E) would look when paired with Triangle 2 and Triangle 3 elementary boundaries. These are not new scenarios, but illustrations to help the Board and community better understand how each middle school option would function under the two remaining elementary maps.
Updated data on what it would mean to allow deferrals for students newly rezoned to George Mason in 2026–27, during the swing space year. This analysis will help the Board assess whether any additional flexibility is feasible before finalizing the policy on June 12.

Key Dates Ahead

June 5 – Final Public Hearing on Redistricting. Register to speak.

June 11 – Final Steering Committee Meeting.

June 12 – School Board Vote on Final Maps, Policies, and Assignments. Register to speak.

As Always, Thank You

We know how complicated—and personal—redistricting can be. This process has taken months, and your voices have shaped every step along the way. If you’ve emailed the Board, spoken at a meeting, joined a PTA session, or sent questions to staff, thank you. Even if your messages did not receive a direct reply, please know: we’ve read them. Your feedback has helped us build a better, more transparent, and community-informed plan.

Let us know what questions you have—or what’s still unclear. We're almost there.

We encourage everyone to continue engaging in this process by: