The Prince William County School Board voted Wednesday to cancel plans for a 14th high school in the district. The decision comes amid concerns of declining enrollment and high project costs. The board voted 7-1 not to pursue plans for the new school.
The school would have been located in the Lake Ridge area with a capacity for about 1,400 students.
Prince William County has been discussing the possibility of a new school for several years. The initial plan was to open the school in 2026. But the school board pushed it back to update the prototype model used to design schools, InsideNoVA reported.
Another delay came in 2024 due to declining enrollment; the projected was pushed to the 2029–2030 school year. PWCS data showed that the county anticipates 1,030 vacant seats across the current 13 high schools by the 2029 school year. With a new school, that number would rise to 2,430. By the 2032 school year, there could be nearly 3,500 vacant seats.
Project costs were another significant factor. The final cost estimate was between $335 million and $358 million — a significant increase from the previously anticipated $223 million.
The school board examined two potential scenarios for its Capital Improvement Program: scenario A included the new 14th high school and scenario B did not. Scenario A would have cost nearly $256.5 million more than scenario B. And scenario B included several projects like robotic centers, LED upgrades, and HVAC replacements to be completed in lieu of the new school.
PWCS has already spent about $22.6 million on the project, according to InsideNoVA, including $16.5 million on land acquisition. The school system still owns the land the school would have occupied.
Feature rendering courtesy Prince William County School Board
