TJ ADMISSIONS: Judge denies stay order, FCPS brings uncertainty for applicants to Class of 2026

Federal judge Claude Hilton denied Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) a stay to proceed with the current admissions system at Thomas Jefferson High School for the Class of 2026.

At a hearing Friday, Hilton said changing the admissions system immediately will cause “some minor inconvenience”, but he does not find “irreparable harm.”

Schools spokeswoman Julie Moult said Friday that Fairfax is looking at options and hopes to have some clarity on how the admissions system for the Class of 2026 will proceed soon. She added that school board members have said Hilton’s ruling “would be tantamount to abandoning all race-neutral diversity efforts within our school community as a whole.”

Earlier this month, Fairfax officials denied all charges of discrimination and filed a court petition asking for a stay. At the time, officials said that Fairfax “is considering” appealing. EduAvenues TJTestPrep views the appeal as highly likely. Changes are forthcoming to both the (current) admissions process for the class of 2026.

Regardless of the final court ruling, the courses and prep offerings at TJTestPrep will be updated to match the chosen admissions format. We are continuing to keep a close eye on the situation.