May 23, 2025
Despite a string of favorable court rulings upholding its legality, the U.S. Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into the admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The inquiry comes on the heels of a report by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who alleged the policy was designed to deliberately reduce the number of Asian American students at the elite magnet school.
The Virginia Attorney General’s findings, which spurred Office Civil Right’s action, are premised on legal arguments that were soundly rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the Fourth Circuit’s ruling. Federal officials will assess whether the admissions changes—implemented to foster diversity—violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in programs receiving federal funding.
“A federal appeals court has already concluded that the same allegations about TJ’s race-blind admissions championed by the Virginia Attorney General are unfounded. Not only is TJ’s admissions policy legal, it also improves access for all qualified students so that all applicants have a more equal opportunity to compete for admission,” Michaele Turnage Young, LDF Senior Counsel and Co-Manager of the Equal Protection Initiative said. “The U.S. Department of Education should not waste taxpayer dollars relitigating a matter resolved by a federal appeals court simply because it disagrees with that court’s ruling. Instead, both the Virginia Attorney General and U.S. Department of Education should be supporting efforts to ensure that all schools remove known barriers to equal opportunity that unfairly deny qualified students, including hardworking and underserved Black, Latino, and Asian American students, a fair shot at success.”
The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) along with its co-counsel filed multiple amicus briefs in support of equal access to TJ in the Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board case on behalf of a multiracial coalition of organizations, including TJ alumni, students, and families. LDF remains committed to defending equal opportunity in education and the civil rights of students.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the revised admissions policy of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a prestigious public magnet school in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Background on Admissions Policy Changes
In 2020, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) implemented changes to TJ’s admissions process to promote diversity and inclusivity. The revised policy eliminated standardized testing and application fees, instead adopting a holistic review that considered academic performance, socioeconomic background, and other factors. This shift aimed to increase representation of underrepresented groups, including Black, Hispanic, low-income, and female students.
The admissions policy at issue was designed to ensure more equal access to TJ, which is a publicly-funded, selective high school, through a race-blind, merit-based process that would better identify qualified students. The admissions policy identifies student applicants by an applicant number only. Admissions officers do not know any applicant’s name, race, ethnicity, or sex. The revisions to TJ’s admissions policy that have been subject to legal challenges include admitting the top 1.5% of eligible 8th graders from each middle school, eliminating a $100 application fee and admissions test, and considering the disability, English proficiency, and socioeconomic status of student applicants.
The revisions to the admissions policy resulted in nearly 1,000 more student applications, when compared to the admissions cycle before the change. The mean grade point average among student applicants was higher than it had been in five years. In the first admissions cycle using the revised admissions process, Asian American students attending middle schools that had been historically underrepresented at TJ saw a sixfold increase in offers for admission. The number of low-income Asian American students admitted to TJ increased from only one student in 2020 to 51 students post-revision. Notably, the rate of Asian American students admitted to TJ has been consistent with historical trends going back at least 17 years.
The policy changes led to a notable demographic shift in the student body. Asian American representation decreased from approximately 73% to 54%, while the percentages of Black and Hispanic students increased. Some parents and advocacy groups, notably the Coalition for TJ, challenged the new policy, alleging it discriminated against Asian American applicants.
Legal Proceedings and Court Rulings
The Coalition for TJ filed a lawsuit against FCPS, claiming the admissions changes were unconstitutional. While a district court initially ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, the Fourth Circuit Court reversed this decision, stating that the policy did not violate the Equal Protection Clause. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively upholding the appellate court’s ruling.
In a press release, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) criticized ongoing legal challenges to the admissions policy, emphasizing that the courts have affirmed its constitutionality and its role in promoting equitable access to education.
Source: AP News / Legal Defense Fund / Reuters / The Washington Post
