McLean High School, Langley High School and every other Fairfax County Public Schools campus carry the Purple Star Designation for supporting military-connected students, making FCPS the largest Purple Star Division in Virginia.

Superintendent Michelle Reid announced the milestone at a School Board meeting, according to FCPS. The district is the only division of its size in the state to earn the status, which requires 100% of a district's schools to qualify.

The achievement landed ahead of schedule. Reid set the divisionwide goal in September 2024, targeting the 2026-27 school year. At the time, just 69 of the district's more than 200 schools held the designation. All of them qualify as of the Oct. 11 announcement.

As we reported Oct. 11, McLean High received its individual recognition from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. Langley High holds the designation for the 2025-26 school year.

More than 12,600 military-connected students are enrolled across the district.

To earn the Purple Star, each school must designate a trained staff point of contact for military families and ensure at least 70% of staff complete VDOE training every three years. Schools must also maintain a student-led transition program for newly enrolled and departing students.

The FCPS Office of Family and School Partnerships led the push to full participation, helping individual schools build Student Ambassador Programs. Those student-led groups pair military and civilian peers to ease transitions.

Eric and Zena Chan, U.S. Air Force members, moved to Fairfax County in summer 2025 and enrolled their sons in FCPS. Eric Chan said meetings about his children bring together teachers, coordinators, therapists and other staff for extended conversations about support.

"We always talk about having a team," Eric Chan said. "In FCPS, that team is real."

Reid said Oct. 8, when McLean High earned its individual designation, that the Purple Star program "supports an inclusive and welcoming school culture for all students and families" and is "beneficial for ALL schools … no matter what percentage of their student body is military-connected."

The Purple Star Designation is valid for three years, and applications are reviewed each fall.