Potomac Falls High School

Potomac Falls High School is a public secondary school in Sterling, Virginia unincorporated area in Loudoun County. The school is part of the Loudoun County Public Schools system.

Potomac Falls High School
Address
Map
46400 Algonkian Parkway

,
20165
Coordinates39°03′07″N 77°23′25″W / 39.05194°N 77.39028°W / 39.05194; -77.39028
Information
School typePublic high school
Founded1997
School districtLoudoun County Public Schools
PrincipalBrandon Wolfe
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,668[2] (2016-17)
LanguageEnglish
CampusSuburban
Color(s)   
MascotPanther
Communities servedCountryside
Dulles Town Center
Cascades Overlook
Broad Run Farms
Feeder schoolsRiver Bend Middle School
Algonkian Elementary School
Potowmack Elementary School
Countryside Elementary School
Horizon Elementary School
Sterling Elementary School[1]
RivalsDominion High School
Park View High School
Broad Run High School
Athletic ConferenceDulles District
Region II
Websitehttp://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/pfhs

History

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Front of Potomac Falls High School

Potomac Falls High School opened in 1997.[3] It was the first high school built in the county in 21 years, following Park View's opening in 1976.

The high school design for Potomac Falls has been used for every new high school built in Loudoun County since then. Stone Bridge opened in 2000 with Potomac Falls' design, but with a larger auditorium and some additional classrooms. Heritage, Dominion, Briar Woods, Freedom, Woodgrove, Tuscarora, John Champe, also all use the same design. The design remained but was updated for Rock Ridge and Riverside.

Lawsuits

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Demmon v. Loudoun County Public Schools, 342 F.Supp.2d 474 (E.D. Va. 2004) – As a fundraiser, a parent organization offered parents and community members the opportunity to purchase and order inscriptions for paving bricks to be placed in a sidewalk around the flagpoles at Potomac Falls High School. Purchasers could choose text and/or symbols to be inscribed on the bricks. Some purchasers paid to have their bricks inscribed with a Latin cross. After one parent complained, school officials removed from the walkway every brick containing a cross symbol.[4]

Case Status – The court held that free speech rights of parents were violated where the school removed bricks inscribed with a Latin cross. The court held that symbols were not school-sponsored speech; and that a walkway where the bricks were displayed constituted a designated or limited public forum and that the school engaged in prohibited “viewpoint discrimination.” The bricks were later reinstated.[5]

Demographics

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In the 2018-2019 year there were 1,634 students enrolled in Potomac Falls High School.[6]

Enrollment by race/ethnicity was 50.67% White, 22.34% Hispanic, 12.73% Asian, 8.63% Black, and 5.63% other.[7]

Enrollment by gender was 52.39% Male and 47.61% Female.[8]

Enrollment By Grade
9th 10th 11th 12th
Students 437 373 413 411

Accreditation and test scores

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Accreditation

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Potomac Falls is a fully accredited high school based on its overall performance on the Standards of Learning tests in Virginia.[9]

SAT scores

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The average SAT score in 2006 for Potomac Falls was a 1,555 (532 in Math; 517 in Critical Reading; 506 in Writing).

School Year Mathematics Critical Reading Writing Total
2000–2001 515 516 n/a 1,031
2001–2002 526 531 n/a 1,057
2002–2003 531 528 n/a 1,059
2003–2004 533 534 n/a 1,067
2004–2005 542 534 n/a 1,076
2005–2006 532 517 506 1,555 (1,049 M & CR)

Enrollment history

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School Year Number of Students
1997–1998 858
1998–1999 1,216
1999–2000 1,380
2000–2001 1,506
2001–2002 1,579
2002–2003 1,641
2003–2004 1,414
2004–2005 1,405
2005–2006 1,455
2006–2007 1,488
2007–2008 1,503
2008-2009 1,533
2009-2010 1,538
2010-2011 1,504
2011-2012 1,521
2012-13 1,550
2013-14 1,560
2014-15 1,611
2015-16 1,633
2017-18 1,665
2018-19 1,634

Extracurricular activities

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Band

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The Potomac Falls band has earned the title of Virginia Honor Band by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) over eight times since its opening in 1997 (1998–2014)(2012),[10] attaining overall "superior" ratings at both the State Marching Band Festival each of those years.

Notable alumni

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Notes

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  1. ^ "2021-2022 SCHOOLS BY GEOGRAPHIC PLANNING DISTRICT & HIGH SCHOOL CLUSTER" (PDF). Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Potomac Falls High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "A Perfect Tribute to Griffith". Loudoun County Public Schools. January 25, 2006. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
  4. ^ "vs1".
  5. ^ "vs2" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  6. ^ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for POTOMAC FALLS HIGH". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  7. ^ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for POTOMAC FALLS HIGH". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  8. ^ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for POTOMAC FALLS HIGH". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  9. ^ "Potomac Falls High School in Potomac Falls, VA". high-schools.com. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  10. ^ "Virginia Honor Bands Yearly History". Virginia Band & Orchestra Directors Association. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved March 24, 2007.