Prince William Schools Kicks Off Magical New School Year

Superintendent LaTanya McDade allowed herself a grin, effusing an abundance of enthusiasm. 

“For my entire 28 years in education, the first day of school always feels magical,” McDade told InsideNoVa Monday morning. “I still get the butterflies, I still can’t sleep at night – so this year’s no different.”

The Prince William County Public Schools superintendent is entering her sixth year in the role, with the school division boasting a 95.7% graduation rate and its lowest-ever dropout rate at 3.3% heading into the 2026-27 school year.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” McDade said. “I’m actually more excited today than I was the first day coming into the school system. So I think this is going to be a phenomenal new school year.”

Woodbridge Senior High School cheerleaders and football players joined the Viking marching band Monday for a dark-and-early, first-day-of-school rally beginning at 5 a.m. on the school’s football field ahead of 7:30 a.m. classes.

Heather Abney, entering her 11th year as principal of Woodbridge High, cited a few notable changes that will impact the daily routine of her nearly 2,800 students this year.

“We’ll still be reminding students that cellphones need to be turned off and stored away from bell to bell,” Abney said of the cellphone ban, first implemented a year ago. “All students will be getting iPads this year, so this is new, and we’re really going to focus on putting information out about getting our parents involved, because we realize we need so many people coming together to support our students.”

 

McDade addressed the phased approach to the incorporation of iPads in the classroom, which began last year.

“Really just trying to create digital equity in the school system,” McDade said, “but also balancing the need to maintain the human-to-human connection between the student and the teacher. Nothing replaces high-quality teaching, and so technology should supplement education, not supplant it.”

Abney shared her anticipation for the start of boys varsity volleyball this year, a new sport for the county, as well as Woodbridge football’s home opener this Friday. 

On the academic side, boosting marginalized groups remains a top priority.

“We’re looking to still continue to close the gaps for our students with disabilities and our English learners,” Abney said. “So we’ll have a big focus on those groups and really just making sure that we look at the needs of each student and help those students reach their fullest potential.”

Excitement at all ages

Sophomore cheerleader Hillary Goodman has been cheering since sixth grade and hopes to continue perfecting her jumps to “make them as clean as possible” and “be a good leader on the team.”

“I feel like being younger is honestly an advantage because then I have more time to improve throughout my cheer time at Woodbridge,” Goodman told InsideNoVa. “This year is definitely more exciting because I know more and I’m just a little bit used to the school, so I can be more confident – and it’s definitely a more exciting first day of school compared to other years.”

Senior Haji Kamara, a defensive lineman for Woodbridge football, expressed high ambitions for the coming season. He wishes it wasn’t his last year. 

“It’s my last time to put on a Woodbridge jersey,” Kamara said. “It’s kind of sad, bittersweet, but this year I plan on trying to break the school sack record at 22 and a half, and just being the best me I could possibly be.”

Junior Mark Wynn, a wide receiver and safety, is a lifelong county resident. He hopes to continue balancing his academic and athletic pursuits.

“I think the vibe is gonna be real good,” Wynn said. “A bunch of my friends are coming over from different schools … I’m in a few AP classes, I’m gonna get my GPA up and whatnot – you know, for colleges so that they can look at me, not just because I’m an athlete, [but] because I’m a student, too.”

Kamara spoke highly of the county school division’s shared mentality.

“It’s just public school pride,” Kamara said. “I feel like private schools have it all easy, college coaches come through there all the time. Us, we don’t have that same luxury – so every single day, a lot of kids from public schools gotta stay down and grind … because, one thing my mom always told me is, ‘If you're good, they’ll find you.’”

 

Policy objectives

Several of McDade’s core areas of focus for this school year stem from the division’s Elevate 2030 Strategic Plan, a four-year roadmap. 

At the high school level, she said, new opportunities for advanced coursework and career-based “micro-credentialing” for both teachers and students are opening new doors.

From an infrastructure standpoint, McDade noted the opening of Occoquan Elementary School as the county’s first net-zero elementary facility, as well as the new Woodbridge Elementary.

The school division is also set to open three school-based health clinics by 2040 – one of which just opened at Gar-Field High School – in tandem with 40 school-based food pantries by 2030, 21 of which are already operational.

The county school system's student population has been declining in recent years, though at around 90,000 students, it's still the second-largest school system in Virginia behind Fairfax County.

Mary Hutson, a Woodbridge High School alumna from the Class of 1977, is preparing for her 50th reunion next year. During her four years, the commute was a bit more arduous.

“My first day of high school was in the old school in Woodbridge on York Drive,” Hutson said. “We were the first freshman class in this school, so we actually walked to school, and we were on first shift. So we started school at 6 o’clock in the morning – we were walking at 5 o’clock in the morning, but we were off at noon. So that was my first day of high school.”

Hutson added, “I love coming back here … it’s awesome. I love this energy. I love being out here with the kids.”

Storm Alho, a Woodbridge senior and student representative to the county School Board, has lived in the county for the past three years. The South African native called the county his “second home” and an “amazing environment,” sharing some advice he would lend to his freshman self.

“Definitely get involved,” Alho said. “Everything’s going to be OK, but just need to get in there, find your community, do what you love, and everything will just fall into place. High school is really, really fun if you put the effort in to enjoy it.”

For her final year at Woodbridge High, Johanna Jarrett, a fellow senior and member of the county’s Student Senate, hopes to make it a “big year” while attending numerous events such as homecoming and prom.