Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

What Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology does

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) is a Virginia state-chartered public magnet high school operating since 1985 within Fairfax County Public Schools, designated as the Governor's School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia. Located at 6560 Braddock Road in Alexandria, Virginia, the school serves selected grade 9-12 students drawn primarily from Fairfax County and, via inter-jurisdictional agreements, from Arlington County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. The institution is governed by the FCPS school board and funded by county and state education budgets with supplementary private support channeled through the TJ Partnership Fund (a nonprofit foundation formed in 1999 by business leaders, parents, and alumni).

The school's core academic product is a four-year, full-day STEM-focused program anchored by the IBET interdisciplinary freshman curriculum (integrating biology, English, and technology), a sequential humanities track pairing English and Social Studies with AP coursework, a comprehensive mathematics sequence through multivariable calculus and differential equations, a four-year laboratory science requirement, and a seven-year computer science program spanning foundations through artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision. Curriculum culminates in a mandatory senior technology research project completed either in one of nine on-campus specialized research laboratories (Astronomy and Astrophysics, Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Chemical Analysis and Nanochemistry, Computer Systems, Engineering, Mobile and Web Application Development, Neuroscience, Oceanography and Geophysical Systems, Quantum Physics and Optics) or through the Research Practicum Program placing students at DC-metro commercial, government, or university research facilities. Output is showcased at TJ STAR, an annual research symposium, with over 180 student clubs and a full athletics program providing non-academic engagement. The school integrates the FCPS district stack of Schoology, SIS, ParentVUE, Google Workspace, and the FCPSon one-to-laptop program.

The school's business model is non-commercial: there is no tuition charged to enrolled students, and revenue flows from public education appropriations (Fairfax County Public Schools operational funding and Virginia Department of Education support under the Governor's School designation), with ancillary revenue from optional fees, summer programs, and TJ Partnership Fund donations. The admissions process operates as a competitive selective intake managed through a dedicated TJHSST Admissions Office at the FCPS Gatehouse Administration Center, with depot-based transportation provided to enrolled students across supporting counties. Governance is school-board led, with leadership including Principal Michael Mukai (appointed January 2025), associate and assistant principals, subschool principals per graduating cohort, division leaders across Science & Technology, Math & Computer Science, Humanities, and WLAMPE, plus Directors of Student Services and Student Activities. Strategic positioning emphasizes ethical research practice, interdisciplinary integration, and a strong innovation culture, with external validation including the Virginia Board of Education Highest Achievement Exemplar Award (2023-24) and a top-30 ranking among Northern U.S. high schools.

Name

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Legal name

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Website

https://tjhsst.fcps.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered public magnet high school in Fairfax County (Northern Virginia), serving grade 9-12 students competitively selected from six jurisdictions, delivering a four-year STEM-focused program anchored by nine specialized research labs and an integrated AI/computer science curriculum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary STEM Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Magnet & Specialty Schools (STEM/Arts/IB/CTE) (EDAJAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science & STEM Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAH), Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Biology & Life Science Enrichment (Biotech, Genetics, Anatomy) (EDAMABAF)

Keywords

• STEM secondary education
• Magnet high school
• Public high school
• Science and technology
• College preparatory

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a public magnet school funded by Fairfax County Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Education as the Governor's School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia, and local tax revenue. Established in 1985 as a partnership between businesses and schools.
2. TJ Partnership Fund: In 1999, local business leaders, parents, and alumni formed the TJ Partnership Fund (TJPF), a nonprofit public foundation to help raise money to support TJHSST's academic mission, STEM outreach efforts, and alumni engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a public, state-chartered magnet school serving grades 9-12 with a college-preparatory STEM curriculum. It operates nine specialized research laboratories, a seven-year computer science pathway, and an interdisciplinary IBET program, delivered tuition-free through Fairfax County Public Schools.

Product overview

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a specialized public magnet high school offering a four-year, full-day STEM-focused educational program. The core academic structure includes the IBET interdisciplinary freshman program, Humanities sequence (HUM1/HUM2), comprehensive Mathematics and Science curricula, and a six-year Computer Science program with AI/ML specializations. Students complete their experience through one of nine Senior Research Laboratories (including Quantum Physics, Biotechnology, Neuroscience, Engineering) or the Research Practicum external program, culminating in the TJ STAR symposium. The school also provides College & Career Services, Special Education support, athletics, and over 180 clubs. Operating since 1985, TJHSST serves selected students from Fairfax County and neighboring jurisdictions as Virginia's Governor's School for Science and Technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STEM College-Preparatory Curriculum (Grades 9-12)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of seniors complete technology research projects as graduation requirement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Fairfax County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCPS is the parent school system operating Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Established in 1985 through partnership between businesses, industry, and FCPS staff for curriculum and facilities development. The school is part of FCPS Region 6 with administrative support from Gatehouse Administration Center.
• Virginia Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTJHSST operates as the Governor's School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia, supported by VDOE as part of the Governor's School program to provide specialized educational opportunities for gifted students.
• TJ Partnership FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormed in 1999 by local business leaders, parents, and alumni as a nonprofit public foundation to support TJHSST's academic mission, STEM outreach efforts, and alumni engagement. Expanded focus after 2017 renovation to include broader community support.
• Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William County Public SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn addition to serving Fairfax County residents, TJHSST serves students from these neighboring school districts as well as Fairfax City and Falls Church City schools. Each county handles its own transportation arrangements.
• Business and Industry PartnersmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal founding partners from businesses and industry who collaborated with FCPS in 1985 to improve education in science, mathematics, and technology. Continue to support through TJ Partnership Fund and Research Practicum Program placements.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bronx High School of Science: Elite New York City public magnet secondary school specializing in STEM, frequently cited alongside TJHSST in national rankings of top U.S. science high schools. Operates selective admissions and specialized research course tracks comparable to TJ's lab programs.
• Stuyvesant High School: Highly selective New York City public specialized high school with an intensive math/science focus and competitive admissions — broadly comparable to TJHSST's selective-STEM-magnet model, though weighted more toward math.
• Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA): Public residential STEM magnet school in Illinois serving gifted juniors/seniors with research-focused curriculum; directly analogous to TJHSST in mission, target student profile, and research lab orientation.
• Maggie L. Walker Governor's School: Virginia Governor's School for government/international studies and STEM serving a multi-jurisdictional Richmond-area student base; comparable governance structure and selective regional magnet model within the same state program.
• Thomas Jefferson High School (Dallas, TX): Dallas ISD public magnet secondary school specializing in science, engineering, and health professions with selective admissions; comparable mission to TJHSST in offering rigorous STEM-focused secondary education to a regional student pool.
• Montgomery Blair High School (Magnet Program): Maryland public magnet program in math/computer science housed within a large suburban high school; mirrors TJHSST's selective STEM track and computer science depth within a regional public-school district.
• Lowell High School: San Francisco public magnet secondary school with selective admissions and a STEM-heavy academic profile; comparable public magnet model drawing a regional high-achieving cohort.

Emerging players

• BASIS Charter Schools: Network of STEM-focused public charter K-12 schools with selective admissions and accelerated math/science sequences; competes for high-achieving STEM-oriented families, though it operates as a multi-school charter network rather than a single specialized secondary magnet.
• School Without Walls: DC-area public magnet secondary school emphasizing college-prep and STEM; overlaps TJHSST in target demographic (Northern Virginia/DC high-achieving students) and selective admissions model, though without the dedicated research labs.

Broad incumbents

• Fairfax County Public Schools: The parent district operating TJHSST as one of many schools; relevant as the broader incumbent in the Northern Virginia K-12 system whose policies, funding, and admissions decisions directly govern TJHSST's operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TJHSST_Official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairfax-county-public-schools

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology