The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today initiated a Title VI investigation into Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Fairfax County, Virginia, for its 2020 revision of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ)'s admissions policy. This action follows Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ report that concluded that FCPS's revision of TJ's admissions policy discriminates on the basis of race. His office subsequently referred the complaint to the Department of Education.
Virginia AG Miyares’ report found the Fairfax County School Board set out to remake TJ’s admissions policies in 2020 because it was dissatisfied with the racial composition of the school. It further indicates that TJ dropped its standardized testing requirements and began using a revised holistic review process, instead of a meritocratic process, to achieve racial balancing.
“Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County has long had a reputation for producing some of our nation’s brightest minds, due in no small part to its rigorous admissions process. The Fairfax County School Board's alleged decision to weigh race in TJ's admissions decisions appears to be both contrary to the law and to the fundamental principle that students should be evaluated on their merit, not the color of their skin,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “The Department of Education is grateful for the diligent work of Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares for documenting a pattern of concerning practices at TJ, and we will further investigate this complaint to ensure that all students being assessed fairly, according to merit and accomplishment.”
“Virginia students’ dreams were illegally denied because of their race. Not merit, but race. The Fairfax County School Board and administration dashed those dreams for many Asian American students by enacting an illegal admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. A policy purposefully engineered to discriminate,” said Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. “I thank my teammate Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares for his investigation on behalf of so many Virginia kids. I am grateful that President Trump and Secretary McMahon are launching the federal investigation to ensure the civil rights of Virginia’s students are protected, as we all work together to eliminate illegal discrimination.”
“In Virginia—and America—we do not uplift one group by tearing another down. We do not define individuals by the color of their skin," said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. "My Office of Civil Rights found reasonable cause to believe the Fairfax County School Board’s overhaul of TJ’s merit-based admissions system was deliberately designed to reduce Asian American admissions. I have referred this matter to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice for full enforcement under applicable civil rights laws."
Background:
On May 21, 2025, following a two-year investigation, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares released a finding of reasonable cause that FCPS is in violation of the Virginia Human Rights Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for discriminating against Asian American students in its admissions process. The Virginia Office of the Attorney General referred FCPS to the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice for further enforcement under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
According to the Virginia Attorney General’s office, “In 2020, the Fairfax County School Board overhauled Thomas Jefferson High School’s admissions process with the intention to deny Asian American students the opportunity to attend one of the [premier] public high schools in the United States. Through a series of written messages, they revealed their intention and amended their policies from a race-neutral, merit-based system to a “holistic” approach designed to exclude one specific minority. FCPS succeeded in their mission, reducing the percentage of Asian American students from 73% to 54% in just one year alone.”
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in federally funded education programs on the basis of race, color, or national origin. In Students v. Harvard (2023), the Supreme Court held that educational institutions may not discriminate on the basis of race in admissions policies.