List of Fairfax County Public Schools middle schools
This list of Fairfax County Public Schools middle schools encompasses public middle schools operated by the Fairfax County Public Schools school district in Virginia, United States.
One middle school, Johnson Middle School, is located in the city of Fairfax. The others are located in incorporated and unincorporated areas in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Many of the middle schools are named after authors, writers, or poets.
Carson Middle School
Rachel Carson Middle School is a middle school in Herndon. Carson Middle School is located in Region 1 and feeds into Oakton High School. The school serves students in grades 7 and 8.History
Planning for a new middle school began in 1994 when the Fairfax County School Board when discussions began for land acquisition in western Fairfax County for a middle school site. The school was originally designed to house 1,250 students.On May 14, 1998, the Fairfax County School Board voted to name the school after Rachel Carson, an environmentalist and author. Carl Sagan was also one of the finalists as a name for the school.
Carson Middle School was first opened on September 8, 1998 with Gail Womble as the first principal. The school's mascot is the panther, which was chosen by the student body.
Administration
The current principal of Rachel Carson Middle School is Donald Washington. Before being appointed in 2024, Washington was the principal at Forestville Elementary School from 2019-2024.Academics
Rachel Carson Middle School is an Advanced Academic Placement Center. The school has a wide range of electives to choose from and a large fine and performing arts program. Carson Middle School offers Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese foreign language classes.Demographics
As of the 2020–21 school year, Carson Middle School has a total of 1,473 students. The school is:- 49.29% Asian
- 26% White
- 9.1% Hispanic or Latino
- 8.55% Black
- 7.06% Other
Feeder pattern
Elementary schools that feed into RCMS include Oak Hill, Floris, Coates, Crossfield, Navy, McNair, Lees Corner, and Fox Mill.
James Fenimore Cooper Middle School
is a middle school in McLean. It is located in Region 1 and feeds into Langley High School. The school serves students in grades 7 and 8.History
In 1958, Fairfax County began creating intermediate schools to create a smooth transition between elementary and high school. In 1959, Intermediate School #2 was officially named after American writer James Fenimore Cooper. Construction on Cooper Intermediate School began in December 1961, and opened its doors to students on September 4, 1962, as schools in Fairfax County were integrating. The school's inaugural principal was William D. McKinney. In 1990, Cooper Intermediate became Cooper Middle School. The school was renovated in 1968 and in 2022. New additions from the 2022 renovations include new classrooms, an updated library, and new admin offices. The school's mascot is the Cougar, and its school colors are blue, white, and yellow/gold.Administration
The current principal of Cooper Middle School is Maureen McLoughlin, successor to Lisa Barrow. Before being appointed principal in the 2024-2025 school year, McLoughlin was the vice principal of Cooper, and was previously the assistant principal at Franklin Middle School. Before arriving at Cooper, McLoughlin worked in the English department. She was the English Department Chair as well as an English teacher at Katherine Johnson Middle School.The current vice principals are Gregory Brotemarkle and Jennifer Diglio. The director of student services is Dana Scabis.
Academics
James Fenimore Cooper Middle School is an Advanced Academic Placement Center. Cooper Middle School offers Chinese, Spanish, French, and Japanese foreign language classes.The school also offers numerous after-school programs, ranging from academics such as Quiz Bowl, Debate, Science Olympiad, and Model UN, to artistic ventures like Theater and Art, competitive sports like cross country and basketball, or casual affairs like the ping-pong club. Cooper's Science Olympiad team routinely scores well at regional and state tournaments, and has placed as high as 12th place at nationals. Cooper's after-school programs for the 2025-2026 school year can be viewed .
Cooper also boasts an excellent music program. Most notably, its band has traveled to numerous national and international conventions: attending the in 2023, the Virginia Music Educators Association conference in 2017, 2022, and 2025, and the in 2019, as the first ever Virginia band to be invited, and in 2025. They have performed at the White House for its annual Easter Egg Roll, recorded for the Artemis 1 launch, and have received the National Band Association Blue Ribbon Program of Excellence Southern Division Award, the Sudler Silver Cup by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, and title of "Virginia Honor Band" in the inaugural year of the award.
Additionally, they have commissioned numerous pieces from renowned contemporary composers such as Brian Balmages, John Mackey, Johnnie Vinson, and William Owens.
As of early 2026, Cooper Middle School is ranked #18 in Virginia Middle Schools and #5 in Fairfax County Public Schools Middle Schools by US News.
Demographics
As of the 2025-26 school year, Cooper Middle School has a total of 1071 students. The school is:- 50.5% White
- 31.5% Asian
- 8.9% Other
- 6.4% Hispanic or Latino
- 2.7% Black
Feeder pattern
Langley High School
- James Fenimore Cooper Middle School
- * Churchill Road Elementary School
- * Colvin Run Elementary School
- * Forestville Elementary School
- * Great Falls Elementary School
- * Spring Hill Elementary School
Franklin Middle School
History
Franklin Middle School opened in the fall of 1984 as an intermediate school with the theme “We touch the Future Through the Past and Present.” In the 1990s, Franklin Intermediate became Franklin Middle. The school was named for Benjamin Franklin, and their mascot is the falcons.Academics
Franklin Middle School has been a Governor's School of Educational Excellence since 2007. Franklin Middle School offers Spanish and French foreign language classes.Demographics
As of the 2020–21 school year, Franklin Middle School has a total of 899 students. The school is:- 44.94% White
- 26.25% Asian
- 14.91% Hispanic or Latino
- 7.45% Other
- 6.45% Black
Feeder pattern
Elementary schools that feed into Franklin include Brookfield, Greenbriar East, Lees Corner, and Oak Hill
Frost Middle School
| SOL test | Percent passing |
| Grade 7 English: Reading | 93.7% |
| Grade 7 Math | 90.5% |
| Grade 8 English: Reading | 92.7% |
| Grade 8 Science | 94.3% |
| Grade 8 English: Writing | 89.3% |
| Grade 8 Math | 92.6% |
Frost Middle School is a public school named after the poet Robert Frost and located southeast of Fairfax.
Most students feed into Frost from Fairfax Villa Elementary School, Oak View Elementary School, Olde Creek Elementary School, Little Run Elementary School, Canterbury Woods Elementary School, Wakefield Forest Elementary School, Mantua Elementary School, Annandale Terrace Elementary School, Braddock Elementary School, and North Springfield Elementary School. Not all students from these schools attend Frost.
Most students feed into W. T. Woodson High School for grades 9–12, but some feed into Annandale High School or Falls Church High School. Every year, around 21 students test into Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Frost had 1154 students during the 2015–2016 school year. During the same school year, 12.13% of the student body received free/reduced-priced meals, and 5.03% were classified as having limited English.
Frost has a AAP center. There are eight teams at Frost: four in the seventh grade and four in the eighth grade. Travelers, Cavaliers, Galaxy, and Seekers are in the AAP, while Voyagers, Endeavor, Atoms, and Explorers are not.
Frost Middle School was recognized with the Governor's Award of Excellence from 2010 through 2017, and with the Virginia Board of Education Distinguished Achievement Award in 2013. In 2013 the school was recognized with the G.O.L.D.E.N. Wellness Award, as well as the Healthier U.S. School Challenge Bronze Award. The Virginia Music Educators' Association awarded Frost Middle School their Blue Ribbon from 2009 through 2017. Frost has been frequently ranked among the best middle schools in Virginia.
As with many other middle schools in the area, chorus, orchestra and band classes take a trip to an amusement park, such as Busch Gardens or Kings Dominion near the end of the year.
Frost is the site of Capital One's Junior Achievement Finance Park at Fairfax County. Eighth graders from neighboring schools often take field trips here.
In 2007, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia gave a lecture to the Seekers team at Frost. His grandson was a student there at the time. In 2011, Scalia gave another lecture to the Seekers team; his granddaughter was then a student there.
In 2019, Frost started construction on an expansion and renovation of the school. The construction was completed in Winter 2023.