One of the first questions we hear from families relocating to Reston and Herndon is some version of: “What are the high schools like here?” It sounds like a simple question. It rarely has a simple answer.
The reality is that buying a home in Reston or Herndon does not mean your children will attend Reston High or Herndon High. Those schools do not exist — or rather, the school everyone calls “Herndon High” is one option among seven, and depending on exactly where you buy, your assigned high school could be in Reston, Herndon, Vienna, Chantilly, or Alexandria. Two of those schools are not in Reston or Herndon at all, and many families discover that only after they are already under contract. Starting in fall 2026, a seventh option — Skyview High School — opens in Herndon with a brand-new campus and three technology-focused academic pathways.
This post is a practical guide to all seven public high schools that serve Reston and Herndon residents through Fairfax County Public Schools. It covers how the boundaries work, what each school offers, and how to verify your specific address before you make an offer.
How High School Assignment Works in FCPS
Fairfax County Public Schools assigns students to high schools based on home address, not zip code or city name. The relevant unit is the pyramid — a cluster of elementary, middle, and high schools that feed into one another. If your address falls in the South Lakes pyramid, your children attend Langston Hughes Middle and then South Lakes High. If it falls in the Westfield pyramid, they attend Rachel Carson Middle and then Westfield High. And so on.
The challenge is that Reston and Herndon are not neatly contained within a single pyramid. Several pyramids overlap this geographic area, and the boundaries cut through neighborhoods, subdivisions, and sometimes individual streets. A home on one block may feed to Herndon High. A home two streets over may feed to Westfield. Zip code and mailing city are not reliable guides.
The only reliable way to confirm your high school assignment is the FCPS School Locator, which allows you to enter a specific street address and returns the assigned school at every level. We recommend every family use it on any specific address they are seriously considering, regardless of what a listing, a neighbor, or a real estate website says.
The Seven High Schools at a Glance
Reston and Herndon addresses feed to seven different high schools, each with its own character, academic profile, and practical considerations. Here is a quick comparison before we go deeper on each one.
| School | Location | Who It Serves | Niche Rank (VA) | Avg SAT | Avg ACT | % Postsecondary | Key Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Lakes HS | Reston | Most of Reston (zoned) | #103 | 1,270 | 28 | 79.8% | IB Programme |
| Herndon HS | Herndon | Town of Herndon (zoned) | #153 | 1,250 | 28 | 73.1% | Academy of Engineering |
| Oakton HS | Vienna | Crossfield / Fox Mill area | #8 | 1,350 | 31 | 91.4% | AP + Performing Arts |
| Westfield HS | Chantilly | Floris / McNair / Coates area | #13 in Fairfax | 1,280 | 29 | 78.6% | 55+ AP & Dual Enrollment |
| Chantilly HS | Chantilly | Oak Hill area of Herndon | #36 | 1,330 | 30 | 85.6% | Governor’s STEM Academy |
| TJHSST | Alexandria | All FCPS 8th graders (competitive) | #1 | 1,510 | 34 | 93.1% | Senior Research Labs |
| Skyview HS ★ NEW | Herndon | Opt-in from 5 pyramids (2026-27); permanent boundaries 2027-28 | New — no data yet | New — no data yet | New — no data yet | New — no data yet | Aerospace / AI / Advanced Tech Pathways |
Each school has a full guide of its own on this site. The summaries below give you enough to understand how the schools differ and which full post to read based on your situation.
South Lakes High School — Reston’s Home School
South Lakes High School is the school that most Reston buyers will be assigned to. It sits on Soapstone Drive in Reston, about a mile from Lake Thoreau, and serves the majority of Reston’s residential neighborhoods through a traditional zoned assignment. If your address in Reston is not in a boundary exception area, South Lakes is almost certainly your high school.
South Lakes carries an important distinction: it is one of relatively few schools in Northern Virginia to offer the full International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, available to all enrolled students. The IB Programme is a globally recognized two-year curriculum for 11th and 12th graders that culminates in external exams and a diploma recognized by universities worldwide. For families coming from schools or countries where IB is the academic standard, this is a meaningful differentiator.
Niche gives South Lakes a B+ overall and ranks it #103 in Virginia. The average SAT is 1,270 and ACT is 28. About 79.8% of graduates enroll in a postsecondary program within 16 months, and 59% of seniors take at least one AP exam.
Beyond the IB programme, South Lakes has a well-developed performing arts department, a competitive athletics program, and the geographic advantage of being embedded in the Reston community. Students can walk or bike to school from many neighborhoods, which affects both logistics and social life in ways that families sometimes underestimate until they live it.
Read the full South Lakes High School guide.
Herndon High School — The Town’s Anchor School
Herndon High School serves the Town of Herndon and surrounding areas through a traditional zoned pyramid. If your address is within the Town of Herndon or in certain adjacent neighborhoods, Herndon High is your school. It sits on Frying Pan Road, a quick drive from most parts of the Herndon community, and has deep roots in the local area.
The school’s signature program is the Academy of Engineering, a career and technical education pathway with coursework in engineering design, robotics, and computer science. Students in the Academy can earn industry certifications and articulated college credits alongside their regular diploma requirements.
Niche ranks Herndon High #153 in Virginia with a B overall grade. The average SAT is 1,250 and ACT is 28. About 73.1% of graduates enroll in a postsecondary program within 16 months. The school is fully accredited by VDOE and has a wide range of clubs, performing arts groups, and athletics.
For families buying in the Town of Herndon specifically, this is a community school in the genuine sense. The student body is rooted in Herndon, the activities calendar reflects local life, and the connections students build here tend to mirror the neighborhood itself.
Read the full Herndon High School guide.
Oakton High School — A Top-Ten School Serving the Fox Mill and Crossfield Area
Oakton High School is the one that catches buyers off guard most often. It is located in Vienna, four miles east of Herndon’s town center, and it does not come up naturally in Herndon school conversations. But if you are buying near Fox Mill Road and the Crossfield area of Herndon, there is a real possibility that Oakton is your assigned high school — and by most measures, that is a very good outcome.
Niche gives Oakton an A+ overall and ranks it #8 in Virginia. U.S. News places it #6 in Virginia and #245 nationally, with an overall score of 98.63 out of 100. The average SAT is 1,350, the average ACT is 31, and 91.4% of graduates enroll in a postsecondary program. State testing shows 93% math proficiency and 94% reading proficiency. In the 2024–25 school year, Oakton recognized 67 National Merit Commended students and 12 National Merit Semifinalists from a single graduating class.
The relevant pathway for Herndon-area buyers runs through Crossfield Elementary, which feeds into Rachel Carson Middle School, and then on to Oakton. The school also has one of the strongest performing arts departments in the region and the largest DECA chapter in Virginia.
The commute from the Crossfield and Fox Mill area to Oakton runs about 10 to 15 minutes east, primarily on Route 50. It is car-dependent, so families used to walkable school access will feel the difference.
Read the full Oakton High School guide.
Westfield High School — Serving the Floris, McNair, and Coates Communities
Westfield High School is located in Chantilly on Stonecroft Boulevard and serves a meaningful slice of Herndon through the Floris, Lutie Lewis Coates, McNair, and McNair Upper Elementary pathways. Students from those schools flow through Rachel Carson Middle School and on to Westfield. If you are buying near Floris Road or the McNair area of Herndon, Westfield is likely the high school at the end of the pyramid.
Niche gives Westfield a B+ overall and ranks it #13 among public high schools in Fairfax County. The average SAT is 1,280 and ACT is 29. About 78.6% of graduates enroll in a postsecondary program. The school offers more than 55 AP and dual-enrollment courses and runs structured support programs including AVID, HACE, GRACE, and a Young Men’s Leadership Group.
Westfield is a large school — about 2,746 students — with real breadth across academics, athletics, and extracurricular life. The commute from the Floris and McNair area of Herndon runs roughly 10 to 15 minutes southwest on Route 28.
Read the full Westfield High School guide.
Chantilly High School — A Governor’s STEM Academy for the Oak Hill Area
Chantilly High School is the assigned high school for families in the Oak Hill area of Herndon — one of the less obvious pyramid connections in the region. Oak Hill Elementary School sits on Kinross Circle in the 20171 zip code with a Herndon address, and it feeds into the Chantilly pyramid rather than Herndon High or South Lakes. Buyers who discover this mid-search are often surprised, but the school itself is genuinely strong.
Niche gives Chantilly an A overall and ranks it #36 in Virginia. The average SAT is 1,330 and ACT is 30. About 85.6% of graduates enroll in a postsecondary program within 16 months. The school earned Gold Distinction on the 2024 AP School Honor Roll, the College Board’s highest recognition tier, and offers 22 dual-enrollment courses with partners including James Madison University, NOVA, and Shenandoah University.
The defining program at Chantilly is the Governor’s STEM Academy, a Virginia Department of Education-designated program housed on campus, offering specialized coursework in cybersecurity, cloud computing, robotics, engineering, pharmacy tech, and veterinary science. The Academy is open to students from across FCPS, not just those in the Chantilly pyramid.
The commute from Oak Hill to Chantilly runs south on Route 28 and down Stringfellow Road, typically 10 to 20 minutes depending on traffic.
Read the full Chantilly High School guide.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — Open to Every FCPS 8th Grader
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — known locally as TJ or TJHSST — operates differently from every other school on this list. It is not a zoned school. It does not have a pyramid. Any 8th-grade student enrolled in FCPS, including every student at Langston Hughes, Herndon Middle, Rachel Carson, and Franklin Middle, is eligible to apply. Admission is competitive, with an acceptance rate of approximately 21%.
TJ consistently ranks #1 among public high schools in Virginia on Niche and in the top 5 nationally on U.S. News. The average SAT is 1,510 and the average ACT is 34. About 93.1% of graduates enroll in a postsecondary program. The academic culture is built around a Senior Research project conducted in one of 15 specialized laboratories covering fields from astrophysics to biotechnology, oceanography, and computational fluid dynamics.
The school is located in Alexandria on Braddock Road, which means the commute from Reston or Herndon is typically 30 to 45 minutes each way. FCPS provides bus transportation from regional pickup points, which reduces the daily burden.
TJ comes up in nearly every conversation we have with families buying in this area. Whether it is right for your student depends on their interests, the academic intensity they want, and whether the commute and competitive environment make sense for your family. It is worth understanding even if you are not certain your student will pursue it.
Read the full Thomas Jefferson High School guide.
Skyview High School — A Brand-New Campus Opening in Herndon in Fall 2026
Skyview High School is unlike every other school on this list in one critical way: it does not exist yet. It opens for the 2026–27 school year on a brand-new campus at 2949 Education Drive in Herndon, near Dulles Airport in western Fairfax County. For families relocating to this part of Northern Virginia right now, that makes Skyview both exciting and genuinely uncertain — a school worth knowing about, but not yet one with a track record to evaluate.
For the first year, Skyview operates as an opt-in school rather than a zoned assignment. Rising 9th and 10th graders from five existing pyramids — Chantilly, Oakton, South Lakes, Westfield, and Centreville — are eligible to apply. Enrollment in Year 1 is capped at 1,000 students (500 per grade level), and if applications exceed capacity, FCPS will hold a randomized lottery. Permanent attendance boundaries are not finalized until the 2027–28 school year, with FCPS expected to announce boundary decisions by June 2026.
The school is designed as a comprehensive high school with core academics, AP and dual enrollment courses, and world languages. What sets Skyview apart is three optional technology-focused pathways: Aerospace Sciences (drones and flight simulation), Artificial Intelligence (coding and machine learning), and Advanced Technology and Innovation (robotics and data science). Students can pursue these pathways without abandoning a traditional college-prep track — participation is entirely elective.
The facility itself is worth noting. Skyview opens with an indoor pool, multiple gymnasiums, a weight room, a 650-seat auditorium, a black box theater, and 499 parking spaces. In Year 1, athletics run through students’ base schools, with FCPS providing transportation between campuses. Full Skyview VHSL athletic programs are planned to begin in Year 2 or Year 3.
For families buying now who are curious about Skyview, the honest guidance is this: the school looks promising, the facilities are strong, and the tech pathways are genuinely distinctive. But the permanent boundaries will reshape who attends — and that decision is still months away. If Skyview is a factor in your search, we would flag it as something to monitor closely through spring 2026 before treating it as a settled part of the picture.
Read our full Skyview High School preview.
How to Find Out Which School Your Address Is Zoned For
The short answer: use the FCPS School Locator. Enter the specific street address and it will return the assigned elementary, middle, and high school for that property. It takes about 30 seconds and it is the only reliable method. Zip code, city name, and neighborhood assumptions are not substitutes.
If you are working with us on a home search in Reston or Herndon, we run this check on every address before we recommend looking at a home. School assignment is a foundational piece of the decision for most families, and the boundary quirks in this part of Fairfax County are real enough that surprises happen regularly, even to buyers who think they know the area.
A Note on School Quality and Fit
The rankings and test score averages in this guide are useful context, but they do not tell the whole story of what a school will mean for your specific student. A family whose student thrives in a traditional neighborhood school with a walkable commute and a strong arts program may be better served by South Lakes than by Oakton, even though Oakton ranks higher nationally. A student who is driven by STEM and wants to do real research may find that TJ is worth the commute and the competitive admission process. A student interested in cybersecurity and applied technology careers may find Chantilly’s Governor’s STEM Academy is a better fit than any general-education alternative.
Every individual school guide linked above goes deeper on programs, culture, athletics, and what families report about the actual student experience. If you want to talk through how any of these schools fits your family’s situation before you make a purchase decision, Kathy and I are happy to work through it with you. School boundaries come up in almost every transaction we handle in this part of Northern Virginia, and knowing them well is one of the more useful things we can offer buyers who are new to the area.
