The WS student population has increased and students all over the school can feel it with overcrowded hallways and classrooms. With the number of students enrolled climbing past the capacity of the school, there has been talk about a potential redistricting that has sparked curiosity among the student population, parents, and staff alike.
According to the Community Feedback Summary from FCPS’s Pigeonhole survey, one of the most common suggestions from Region 6 residents was to utilize Lewis High School to relieve overcrowding in nearby schools – like WS– since the proposed redistricting plans don’t address the issue. The survey didn’t allow for submissions to list their names, so we were unable to contact commenters for follow-up.
“Several schools across multiple levels in the Lewis pyramid are significantly under capacity. West Springfield is significantly above capacity,” said one submission. “The proposed boundary adjustments that supposedly address overcrowding (movement around WS and South County) bring these schools at or over capacity but do not bring additional students or resources into the Lewis pyramid. There is no equitable proposed scenario for Lewis pyramid students.”
Others were more concerned with distance than population. “Our community is being bused through bad traffic and highways to have us go to Lewis HS even though we are two miles closer to WS,” said another submission.
Overall, most of the comments were residents that are currently zoned for Lewis High School asking to be reassigned to WS. The general consensus was summarized in the following comment from a submission: “WS is not just our neighborhood school— it’s a strong, diverse, and well-established community that offers stability and a sense of belonging to our students and families. The school has a long history of academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and community support. We understand the need for balancing enrollment, but we urge FCPS to consider alternative solutions that do not come at the cost of disrupting our students’ educational and social experience.”
Education-wise, WS offers more programs for students, with 32 in-person/on-site Advanced Placement (AP) classes available as opposed to Lewis’s 19, according to the 2024 Course Catalogues of each school. This could be part of the reason many Lewis attendees are asking to be zoned for WS.
For WS students like sophomore Simon Hui, the issue of being redistricted becomes more personal.
“I don’t really like the idea of being redistricted,” he said. “I live on the outskirts of the border, so there’s a high possibility I could be moved. I just don’t want to switch schools and leave my friends—it wouldn’t feel right.”
As FCPS continues to review boundary change ideas, many students and families are still wondering how the changes might take effect and how those adjustments could impact both overcrowded and underused schools.
