Meridian High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
121 Mustang Alley , 22043 | |
Coordinates | 38°53′52″N 77°11′31″W / 38.89778°N 77.19194°W |
Information | |
School type | Public high school |
Founded | 1952 |
School district | Falls Church City Public Schools |
Principal | Peter Laub |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 845 (2019-20)[1] |
Campus | Suburban |
Color(s) | Red, White, and Black |
Mascot | Mustang |
Feeder schools | Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School |
Athletic conferences | Virginia High School League AA Dulles District [lacrosse, swimming] |
Website | https://mhs.fccps.org |
Meridian High School (MHS), formerly George Mason High School, is a comprehensive public high school that serves the independent City of Falls Church. The school, which serves some 850 students in grades 9–12, is the sole high school in the Falls Church City Public Schools system. Opened in 1952, it is a hub of city activity for its facilities and athletic fields.
Until January 2014, MHS was located outside the boundaries of Falls Church, in Idylwood, an unincorporated area of Fairfax County, Virginia.[2][3] In 2014, a 38-acre (15 ha; 150,000 m2) parcel of land, including the school, was transferred to Falls Church City as part of the Fairfax Couty Water Authority's purchase of the Falls Church Water System.[4]
The school ranks gold in U.S. News & World Report's Best High Schools Ranking for 2020; Meridian High School (formerly George Mason) ranks #16 among all schools in Virginia and #649 in the United States.[5]
Meridian High School's racial breakdown in the 2020-2021 class was 59% White (non-Hispanic), 6% Asian or Pacific Islander, 12% Hispanic, 4% Black, and 19% two or more races.[6] For comparison, the demographics of the city are: 79.37% White, 3.38% Hispanics of any race, 6.5% Asian, 4.9% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.01% from other races, and 3.68% from two or more races.
MHS was built on the site of a single-room school house that burned down in 1857. After the fire, the land sat empty until Falls Church was founded as an independent city in 1948, when residents sought greater control over their local school system, which, at the time, was segregated by race.[7] MHS was opened in 1952.
In 1981, the school became the first in Virginia to use the International Baccalaureate program.[8][9]
A design for a new main building was unveiled in 2017 and construction began in 2019. The new LEED-certified building opened to students in 2021, and the original was demolished.
In December 2020, the FCCPS School Board voted to rename George Mason High School and its counterpart Thomas Jefferson Elementary School due to their namesakes' association with American slavery.[10] After a period of deliberation and public comment, the school board selected Meridian High School as a replacement name.[11]