On May 22, the Fairfax County School Board unanimously adopted the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Approved Budget, marking a historic milestone for the school division alongside its first collective bargaining agreement in recent history. This landmark agreement, developed in collaboration with employee representatives, reinforces the division’s ongoing commitment to supporting its staff and students. The approved budget prioritizes compensation increases and continued investments in student success while making adjustments to ensure alignment with FCPS’  strategic plan .

The adjustments were necessary to address a $121 million shortfall driven by years of chronic underfunding of public education. Despite these challenges, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has taken deliberate steps to protect classrooms and ensure continuity of service across the division. 

Read the full news release . 

There are three stages to our budget: proposed, advertised, and approved. 

FCPS'  Proposed Budget  is the first stage in the budget development process. Virginia code mandates that the superintendent, with the  approval of the School Board, prepares a budget with an estimate of funding needed to support the school division, also referred to as a needs-based budget.

It is developed by FCPS’ superintendent through community feedback, School Board discussions, and fiscal forecasting which balances our needs with our expected funding. The superintendent’s Proposed Budget is presented to the School Board and the community each year in January and is considered the starting point for the next fiscal year’s budget. The proposed budget document details projected revenue and expenditures and outlines proposed changes as compared to the prior year’s budget. After the Proposed Budget is released, public hearings are held, and the School Board has the opportunity to make changes to the budget.

The amended budget is adopted by the School Board in early February and becomes the  Advertised Budget . The Advertised Budget is published during the late winter/early spring and is a short supplement to the proposed budget. FCPS primarily relies on funding from Fairfax County and the state. Each of them have their own budget development processes, which determine how much funding our school district will receive each year. As part of the budget development process, the School Board presents FCPS’ Advertised Budget to the County Board of Supervisors. After the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the General Assembly adopt their budgets, FCPS receives local and state revenue allocations. Since the majority of funding comes directly from the county, understanding local revenue is critical to FCPS’ budget. Once revenue for the coming year is known, the superintendent makes recommendations to the School Board to finalize the budget for the upcoming year. This budget is adopted by the School Board in May and becomes the  Approved Budget. On July 1, the new fiscal year begins and the Approved Budget goes into effect. The approved budget document details all revenues and expenditures for the next fiscal year.

Most of the operating budget comes from the county, primarily through residential real estate property taxes.  Below is a breakdown of where our funding comes from.

• 70.6% County Transfer
• 19.0% State Aid
• 6.3% Sales Tax
• 1.5% City of Fairfax
• 1.2% Federal Aid
• 1.4% Beginning Balances and Other

These figures illustrate that FCPS receives about a quarter of its funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia through state aid and sales tax revenue and a fraction from federal aid. Most of FCPS' funding comes from the  county transfer , which is the funding allocated to FCPS by Fairfax County. 

Fiscal Fact

Virginia school divisions receive less funding per student than the 50-state average  and the regional average 

(Source:  Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study ).

FCPS strives for transparency and takes the responsibility of fiscal stewardship very seriously. Over the past decade, FCPS has implemented reductions, cost avoidances, and fee enhancements of more than $800 million to align with funding levels provided.

Reductions, Cost Avoidances and Fee Enhancements ($ in millions) equals $852.8 million over 10 years.

FCPS is one of Virginia's highest performing school districts which helps Fairfax County:

• Attract new residents and businesses
• Maintain a highly-skilled workforce
• Support and retain the next generation of innovators and leaders
• Increase property values
• Foster the economic, civic, social, and physical health of our community

Fiscal Fact

CNBC  named Virginia as America's Top State for Business in 2024, "with the nation's best schools and solid infrastructure."

School divisions across the state face continued underfunding by the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

FCPS alone is estimated to be underfunded by $568.7 million year over year based on the nonpartisan  Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study . This equates to approximately $3,100 per student and underscores the need for equitable funding that truly reflects the needs of our community.

Because of this chronic underfunding, FCPS is critically reliant on county funding with less than one third of the budget coming from state, federal, or other sources.

Fiscal Fact

Based on the nonpartisan  Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study , when comparing the national average of how much each state spends per student: 

• Virginia receives 14% less
• Maryland receives 4% more
• Kentucky receives 9% less
• West Virginia receives 11% more

A great way to support a strong budget for FCPS is to stay engaged in the budget development process. Check our  Budget Development Calendar to see important dates and opportunities for you to provide public feedback. Your voice matters!

Fiscal Fact

Our ratio of management staff to total staff is 1.1% while surrounding divisions range from 2-4%. That’s because we have a fiscal responsibility to taxpayers. We believe that as a school system, most of our budget should be spent in the classroom.

FCPS budget documents have received awards from both the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). 

The Commonwealth of Virginia requires state and local governments to operate with a balanced budget. Many factors unique to school systems can trigger educational cost increases that outpace inflation. For example, because K-12 education is so labor-intensive, increases in labor costs due to rising student enrollment or changes in staffing standards can drastically impact school budgets. Understanding factors like this will help citizens understand the financial challenges that schools confront today as well as the context in which budgeting decisions are made.

Fairfax County Public Schools, like the Fairfax County Government, historically ends each fiscal year with a positive balance. This balance can include carryover for outstanding obligations or undelivered orders, including goods or services that have not been received or performed as of June 30. FCPS does allow schools to carry over unspent funding from certain supply and hourly accounts, encouraging schools to use multiyear planning to meet student needs.

FCPS uses multiple strategies to address budget shortfalls, including conserving resources and reducing spending during the fiscal year, where possible. As a result, the net funding available at year-end is presented to the School Board as an available balance. Recently, this funding has been allocated to the beginning balance for the following year instead of being spent for current year needs.