School Board approves AAP Center at Poe

The Fairfax County School Board approved a motion on Dec. 18 to create a full-time Advanced Academic Program at Poe Middle School.

The motion, put forth by Mason school board member Ricardy Anderson, calls for the following:

• The new AAP Center will begin with the sixth grade in the 2026-27 school year.

• A phasing option allows third through sixth-grade students currently attending the AAP Center at Canterbury Woods Elementary School to stay there through the sixth grade. That AAP Center serves students whose base schools are Annandale Terrace, Braddock, and North Springfield.

This phasing option addresses concerns by Canterbury Woods families about a misalignment in grade-level configurations. Canterbury Woods has grades K-6, while Poe has grades 7 and 8. Approximately 37 students would be affected.

Related story: Parents air views on an AAP Center proposed for Poe Middle School

• A phasing option for the Falls Church pyramid-based Mason Crest students in grades 3-5 who are currently attending the AAP Center at Belvedere Elementary School will be able to choose to attend the AAP Center at Poe or the one at Glasgow Middle School.

This provision addresses concerns about the original proposal that would have resulted in some students going through three pyramid/peer cohort changes during their K-12 experience. Approximately 14 students would be affected.

• The School Board directs FCPS staff to begin community engagement on a proposal to open a new full-time AAP Center at North Springfield Elementary School to begin with grade 3 in the 2026-27 school year.